Love Is War
by Xayden
Summary: A gentle-hearted boy with a talent for archery and a desire to protect those precious to him grows up alongside our favorite future mafia boss becoming his first friend and one of the only normal things in his life once Reborn shows up. How will the story change? Read and find out! (Eventual Male OC X Undecided!Canon character)
1. Chapter 1

"My. It's such a nice day out." Green eyes slowly lifted from the plate that held his breakfast in alarm the moment that he heard the words that left his mother's mouth as the boy slowly turned to share a look of horror with his father only to fall silent as he watched his father rise from his seat slowly. Remaining completely silent, the boy watched transfixed as the taller man quickly moved to immediately scoop him up, realizing that his father was going to try his hand at making a quick escape with him before his mother could finish her musings and give them both an order that they did not want to obey, only to pause as he felt that piercing gaze on his back. It was a moment later that his father slowly turned around to meet the piercing gaze of his mother, wincing at the sadistic smirk that slowly formed across her lips as she effectively spelled out their doom with her next sentence.

"Perhaps you should take Ren to the park so he can try making some friends again, Anata?"

Well, Damn.

About a half-hour later the two male members of the Honda family found themselves standing in the heat of the warm summer morning as they both stared at the playground that was currently filled with the delighted shrieks of the children. The unamused child stared at his fellow children for all of a moment before his gaze slowly lifted to fall upon his father, green eyes filling with tears immediately as Ren forced his lips into the cutest pout he could muster, determined to save himself from his fate and using his cuteness to his advantage in a way that he knew would have his father eating out of his palm in a matter of moments.

His father thought he was adorable and he was not above using that in his favor if it saved him from being forced to play nice with the other children in this awful heat.

For a moment, he thought he had managed to sway his father into going along with what he wanted yet again only for his hopes to crash and burn a moment later as the man turned around, his brown gaze avoiding Ren's entirely as he spoke. "Oh no. You might be my adorable little boy but I am not letting you have your way again. Your mother got so angry with me the last time after she found out that I took you for ice cream instead of making you stay here and play. I am sorry Ren, but you're going to have to play with the kids today. Maybe you'll finally make some friends?"

The silence that greeted his father's hopeful response was enough to make the man falter for a moment before his expression brightened as he began shuffling through the oversized bag he had brought with him, digging through it for a moment before producing a large bag filled with various candies and as he handed it to the very unamused Ren he smiled sheepishly before ruffling his child's black hair.

"Think about it this way Ren, if you make friends this time then maybe your mother won't make us come back here. Try making friends to the best of your ability and if all else fails then bribe them with candy. Kids love candy don't they?"

His only response was silence as Ren stared at the bag of sweets as though it had done something to personally offend him before he slowly made his way over to the playground with a soft sigh, inwardly mourning the loss of his perfect afternoon. All he had wanted to do was enjoy his day the way he wanted, practicing with his toy bow and arrow until he got as good with the toy as the heroes in his favorite cartoons and movies were with the real thing.

Maybe he would even become as strong as they were one day.

That was the reason why he had no time to waste playing with other children who only wanted to play stupid games like kick-the-can or hide and seek and yet, it did not seem as though he was going to get out of playing with them anytime soon and so, at least for the time being, it seemed as though he was going to have to make the most out of his situation. He wandered around the expanse of the playground as he searched for a group of kids that were the least likely to bother him to play with, to no avail.

Most of the children seemed to be interested in eating sand or picking their noses much to Ren's great displeasure.

For a moment he looked down at the bag of candies that his father had given to him, considering what would happen if he simply chose to throw them away and return home on his own without his father. He greatly considered the drawbacks to any potential punishment as he tried to determine whether or not the punishment would be worth not having to spend another moment in this awful place before the sound of crying managed to capture his attention and immediately his green eyes turned to see two slightly older boys terrorizing a boy around his age with spiky brown hair and brown eyes, something that made his eyes narrow slightly.

He hated bullies.

* * *

Ren's eyes narrowed thoughtfully for a moment before his mind came up with a plan as he slowly approached the three boys, immediately drawing attention to himself as he spoke softly.

"What are you two doing over here? Don't you know that there's someone giving out big bags of candy over there at the playground? I just got this big bag of candies from a nice man!" He held up the bag of candy as proof of his claim, not missing the way the eyes of the two boys darkened in greed as they looked at his bag of candy.

"He was giving out a big bag of candy like this to all of the kids! You better hurry before he runs out! He only had a few left!" It was a moment later that both of the boys ran off towards the playground, shoving and pushing each other out of the way with the promise of candy on their mind and for a moment Ren simply watched the two boys before sighing and shaking his head as he finally turned to meet the victim, blinking quietly when he saw the boy look up at him with those tear-filled browns and before he could stop himself, he found a frown forming upon his lips.

Poor thing.

"Hey, it's okay. They're gone now and they're probably going to spend the rest of the day trying to find the candy man I made up so they'll leave you alone." Ren gave the sniffling boy a small smile before turning to walk away only to pause as he felt a small hand grab onto the back of his shirt. A surprised green gaze turned to meet those pitiful browns and as the boy continued to look at him with those wide browns, his own gaze softened as he tried to think about what he could do to make him feel better, gaze falling down to the bag of candy a moment later.

Well, it was worth a shot.

"Here. My dad gave this to me to give to people I like. You seem nice enough so you can have them. I hope they make you feel better." He handed the surprised brunette the bag of candy who simply looked at the bag of candies in absolute shock before giving Ren a small, shy sort of smile, those tears slowly drying up much to the black-haired boy's relief.

Now if he would just let go of his shirt so he could be on his way, that would be absolutely wonderful.

It was at that moment that his father chose to wander on over with a long-haired woman who looked remarkably similar to the boy who had a death grip on his shirt and as their attention turned to the two children and both adult's eyes widened, Ren immediately knew that there had been some kind of misunderstanding. A sinking feeling welled up in his chest as those greens narrowed, mind racing to try and come up with an explanation only to be silenced as his father spoke before he could properly explain himself.

"Y-You actually made a friend?! Just wait until your mother hears about this! She's going to be so thrilled!"

Green eyes widened at the mention of the woman that had forced this whole situation on him to begin with before watching with a dumbfounded look as his father turned to the long-haired woman who had come with him.

"Thank you Nana-san. You were right! Your son truly is a miracle worker if he was able to make someone as distant as my Ren want to be friends with him! I don't know how to properly thank you!" The woman, who Ren now knew as Nana simply smiled warmly at the two boys before her brown eyes turned to focus on her own son.

"Did you manage to make a friend Tsu-kun? My, he's such a cute little thing too! What pretty eyes he has!" Ren's gaze shot up to meet the kind brown gaze of the woman who smiled sweetly down at him, protests immediately dying on his tongue as he noticed just how happy the woman looked. As his father began talking eagerly with the pretty woman, making arrangements for a future play date he knew that there was no way he was getting out of this. Yet as his gaze fell upon the shy brunette who still had not released his shirt from his grasp, he thought maybe, it might not be a bad idea to have him as a friend after all. At the very least he would get practice hitting moving targets with his bow and arrows.

He had a feeling this boy was the type to attract bullies.

"It looks like we're going to be friends, you and I. Nice to meet you. My name is Ren Honda." The green-eyed boy looked at the other in something akin to amusement as the brunette's eyes widened in shock once again.

"And what is your name? Unless it really is Tsu-kun?" He mused softly, watching the boy carefully as he shrank back for a moment before he finally spoke.

"M-My name is T-Tsunayoshi. But you can call me Tsu-kun. I-If you want."

Oh, he was cute.

It was a few moments later that he was picked up, carried securely in his father's arms as the man finalized a playdate for Ren and Tsuna that would take place at their home the following afternoon and as Ren gifted the other boy a lazy farewell, hand waving carelessly at the shy boy as he was carried away he could not stop the smile that spread across his lips as he was carried home.

Perhaps having a friend wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.

Little did he know, just how much trouble said friend was going to cause him in the not-so-distant future.


	2. Chapter 2

Green eyes took in the forms of the bullies that had once again chosen to bother Tsuna before a sigh slowly escaped him as he lifted his trusted bow and arrow, taking aim at the troublesome children before releasing his arrow, lips forming a smile as he managed to nail one of the children in the back of the head with the toy arrow. A cry of pain was torn from the malicious child in question as his gaze darted around in search of the one that had hit him, only for him to be nailed once again with another arrow.

"If you know what is good for you, you will leave Tsuna alone. I do not like bullies who target my friends. People who pick on kind people like Tsuna are only good for helping me improve my aim." Those surprised gazes lifted to finally find Ren who had managed to make himself comfortable on a sturdy branch in a nearby tree, an arrow drawn from his quiver as the boy got ready to shoot it once again.

"Now get lost before you make me angry."

He launched another arrow in warning, watching with a distant gaze as the boys finally took his warning to heart, running away shrieking that they were going to get their parents before his gaze turned to the sniffling Tsuna and with a small sigh, he carefully climbed down from the tree only to be tackled into a tight hug by the sniffling boy.

"There, there. I wasn't going to let them keep picking on you Tsuna. I told you that we were going to be friends and that I'm going to keep you safe and I will never break a promise." Ren's gaze met the teary one of the innocent boy and as he gifted him a kind smile, those tears slowly began to cease their falling as those cries slowly turned into soft whimpers.

"B-But Ren. I-I made you have to f-fight to protect me a-again. I-I know you don't l-like having to d-do that. I-I don't want you to fight. I don't want you to not be my friend anymore because you keep having to protect me." Ren's gaze immediately softened as he heard his friend's words and as he saw the doubt in those sepia-colored eyes, the fear that Ren truly would grow tired of him and simply abandon him, Ren's heart almost broke.

"Tsuna, you shouldn't worry about stuff like that. We are friends now and even if I do not like violence, I will do whatever it takes to protect my friends and the people I love. I will not stop being your friend. I will always be by your side and I will always protect you, I promise." He held out his pinky for the other boy to take, smiling gently as the boy wordlessly linked his pinky within Ren's.

"It's the promise of a lifetime. So I will never break it, okay?"

* * *

True to his word, he remained loyally by Tsuna's side, somehow managing to become his constant companion and protector as the two of them grew over the years. It became quickly apparent to everyone that Tsuna struggled with even the most menial of tasks, it became just as apparent that anyone who tried to bully Tsuna would have to go through Ren, who was very much Tsuna's opposite in every single way.

People that were quick to tease and belittle Tsuna were just as quick to admire the person who Ren had become. He was a gentle and kind-hearted boy who was not only well-liked by most of his peers but had also managed to earn the respect of most of his teachers due to his high marks in nearly all of his subjects. He had earned his place on Namimori Middle's archery team and had quickly proven himself to be one of the best archers in the school despite only being a first year.

People were also quick to find out that the gentle and kind Ren, the boy that everyone had come to admire became absolutely terrifying whenever people tried to pick on Tsuna. While he never resorted to violence if he could avoid it, he was quick to intercept any potential threats to Tsuna's safety with a less than sincere smile as he placed his body in front of the boy, determined to shield him from the harsh words and any potential physical harm as those green eyes became colder than ice.

It became very clear that in order to get to Tsuna, they would first have to go through Ren, something that no one was willing to do.

Until a certain baby dressed in black came along, that is.

* * *

The archer quietly found himself leaning against a wall at the entrance of the school, mind drifting off into his own little world as he waited for Tsuna to arrive at school so the two of them could walk to class together, a sigh leaving his lips before a tired smile slowly crossed his features as it got later and later in the morning.

"Tsuna must have overslept again. Perhaps I should have ended my practice sooner. At least then I could have gone to his home to wake him up." He mused silently to himself, that smile fading as he saw Kyoko and Mochida arrive. Hands slowly moved to mess around with his tie, fiddling with it for a moment in thought before with a sigh, he stepped forward. He had the intention of asking the pair if either one of them happened to have seen Tsuna on their way to school only to fall silent when Tsuna immediately popped out of seemingly nowhere, sending Mochida flying and leaving Ren in a state of shock as the black-haired boy simply stared at his longtime friend in a stunned silence.

Why was Tsuna dressed in only his underwear?

Green eyes fixed his friend with a bewildered expression as he watched Tsuna confess to Kyoko, those eyes widening even further as the girl screamed before running away and as Mochida came stomping over to him with his fist raised, he did the first thing that came to mind. His body immediately moved in front of Tsuna, hand lifted as he caught the blow meant for his friend. A small wince covered Ren's features as pain erupted in the hand that captured Mochida's fist before his lips formed a small, cold smile as he reprimanded the older boy.

"Now, now Mochida-san, there is no need to resort to violence. I know that what Tsuna did was unexpected but surely there is a reason for him doing what he did. I would appreciate it if in the future you could keep your hands to yourself instead of acting out like some sort of fool. People are capable of talking things out perhaps you should try it sometime?"

"You need to stop defending that pervert, Honda! He'll tarnish the good reputation you've made for yourself here! Besides, this loser is delusional if he thinks Kyoko will ever look at him twice." Ren's body immediately tensed up upon hearing the cruel words directed towards his friend, his smile becoming less sincere as Mochida stomped away like some foolish toddler throwing a tantrum. Those green eyes became even colder, watching calmly with a narrowed gaze as the boy disappeared from his view before his attention finally turned as he focused on the frantically apologizing Tsuna, anger immediately forgotten as a wry smile finally crossed his lips as his gaze softened.

"I'm so sorry you had to get involved in something again because of me-"

"Relax Tsuna, no one got hurt in the end so don't worry about such trivial things, alright?"

"B-But-"

"It is fine. Though I do have to ask you one thing if you do not mind. Why are you in your underwear? I sincerely hope that you have a spare uniform because if Hibari-san sees you like this he is not going to be very happy. Even I might not be able to help you when it comes to Hibari-san, my friend. " Ren smiled weakly at Tsuna as he heard his small cry of fear before his attention was finally stolen by a baby dressed in black, eyes widening as he came floating down from the sky with a parachute. He listened with a stunned gaze as the baby mentioned something about a deathperation shot and bullet, something that apparently was capable of making Tsuna act on any regrets he had with a dying will and as the information registered in Ren's mind, he swallowed roughly as one single thought ran through his head.

He had to be dreaming some sort of twisted dream, what else was capable of explaining everything that was going on?

It was a second later that Ren felt a chilling gaze on his back and he could not stop himself from shivering, taking a moment to steel his nerves before finally turning, troubled greens meeting the beady black gaze of the infant that stood in front of him, a baby that seemed to be assessing him.

Despite his youth, there was no mistaking the fact that the infant had the eyes of a demon, something that unnerved Ren even more.

Then the baby spoke and his blood froze within his veins.

"Honda, Ren. You are fifteen years of age. Your blood type is AB negative and you are said to be good with a bow and arrow. You are also stupid Tsuna's best friend and a good student. I cannot help but wonder what someone like you would see in a loser like Tsuna."

Ren gaped for the longest of moments as he heard the baby insult Tsuna as though he wasn't standing right there, gaze flicking to Tsuna only to frown immediately as he saw the hurt look in his friend's eyes. He could not help but flinch as he saw his best friend slowly curling in on himself, knowing that Tsuna only did that when his confidence in himself was shattered and it was that gesture that finally helped him steel his resolve. With a soft sigh, he forced a weak smile to form on his lips before he forced himself to kneel down to the baby's level.

"There are a lot of things that people don't seem to understand about Tsuna. While it is true that Tsuna might not be the smartest in our class or even the most athletic, there is something about him that I know is even more important. He is a very kind person with a good heart and that is so hard to come by in this day and age." He mused softly before smiling kindly at his childhood friend whose eyes widened upon hearing the praise coming from Ren.

"He is a very dear and precious person to me, a person who I want to protect more than anything. So please try not to judge him too harshly, okay?" With those words said, he allowed himself to rise from his place on the ground, gently brushing off any dust from his uniform before fixing Tsuna with another small smile.

"You had better hurry up and get dressed Tsuna. Class will be starting at any moment and Hibari-senpai will be making his rounds soon. As much as I would like to wait for you, it is probably better for me to meet you there, okay? Try not to take too long." Truth be told he wanted to do as much damage control as he possibly could before Tsuna was able to hear what their fellow classmates likely had to say about what happened with Kyoko. He knew that his friend was already embarrassed beyond belief, he did not need their classmates making him feel even worse than he already did.

As he made his way to their classroom he simply sighed again as he finally opened the door, listening to the laughter and the snickers that filled the air before gifting his classmates a tight-lipped smile, green eyes hardening in a way that made the class immediately fall silent.

"I would like to ask you all to please refrain from teasing Tsuna about what happened this morning. He is embarrassed enough and does not need to be made to feel even worse. Thank you." A quick bow was gifted to his classmates before he made his way to his seat, quietly sitting down and wincing slightly as the bell rang only for Tsuna to run into the classroom and as the students immediately began to laugh, he could not stop the frown that crossed his lips.

He listened quietly as one his classmates even called Tsuna an underpants man, an insult that made Ren twitch slightly in irritation, a cold smile finally crossed his lips as that green gaze hardened once again only for that smile to completely falter as two of their classmates announced that Mochida would be waiting for Tsuna behind the gym at lunch to settle their dispute, something that made Tsuna freak out as he looked at Kyoko. It was then that her friend clarified that Mochida was intent on challenging him to make up for the supposed insult that Kyoko had suffered, her friend saying that had Mochida stated he would never forgive anyone that made the school's idol cry.

In reality, he was trying to pick on someone that was weaker than he was in an attempt to impress Kyoko.

It was disgusting.

As a frightened Tsuna took the seat next to him, it was then that Ren finally forced himself to calm down, suppressing his rising anger to gift his friend a tight-lipped smile.

"Do not worry Tsuna. I promise you that I will talk some sense into this fool at lunch. Nothing will come of this, you have my word." He smiled as his promise seemed to calm the panicking boy down and as the younger boy gifted him a grateful smile, Ren's gaze finally softened once again as his mind shifted to think about just what he was going to say to the foolish bully, determined to fix this mess before it became even worse than it already was.

Imagine his surprise when lunch finally came and he stepped out of the classroom with Tsuna trailing behind him, determined to find Mochida only to find himself grabbed the very second he stepped foot outside of the classroom by his fellow archers from the archery team. A bewildered look crossed his features as his gaze narrowed, brow furrowing as his teammates began to immediately explain themselves as they all but dragged him away from Tsuna.

"Ren, we need you to come with us! Captain wanted to talk to you about the upcoming match against Yumei Middle school. He said that he needs you to come right now so he sent us to come and find you!"

"Wait a minute, I can't-"

"A-Ah! Y-You guys can't take Ren I really need-"

"Sorry Tsuna, but this is really important! You can have Ren back after lunch!" Ren could say nothing as he was immediately whisked away by his teammates, watching with a horrified gaze as Tsuna grew further and further away before completely disappearing from his sight altogether.

God, he hoped that Tsuna would be okay.

* * *

Imagine Ren's surprise when he learned later on that day as the two of them walked home together that not only had Tsuna been perfectly fine, but he had even managed to defeat Mochida in a kendo match. He listened to his friend as he told him everything that had happened during the match between the two of them, completely enthralled with every single detail and as Tsuna finished telling his story, the black-haired boy simply stood there in stunned silence for a few moments before gifting his friend a small, relieved smile.

"I have to say that while the outcome of your fight with Mochida was somewhat unexpected, I am glad that you are not hurt Tsuna. I only wish that I could have been there to see everything for myself."

It would have been quite a sight to say the very least.

Even if he didn't much care for violence, he could have overlooked that small detail if it meant getting to watch his dear friend stand up to the foolish bully and put him in his place.

Hopefully, Mochida learned his lesson from Tsuna and perhaps, in the future he would think twice before deciding to bully anyone ever again.

"A-Ah Ren. Um, I wanted to ask something of you. If that's okay that is?" Ren's gaze immediately turned to Tsuna again with a small smile, that gaze softening once again as he saw the shy look on the boy's face. A soft laugh left the older boy as his hand lifted to fall upon Tsuna's fluffy hair, hand gently ruffling it with an affectionate touch before he spoke.

"You should know by now that you can ask anything of me Tsuna. I will do my best to help you in any way that I can." He grinned as the response only seemed to fluster the younger boy, inwardly musing to himself just how cute Tsuna was whenever he was flustered before turning his attention back to Tsuna as he finally began to speak again.

"Um...there is going to be a volleyball match tomorrow afternoon and our class invited me to be one of the reserve players. I am so far down on the list that there's no way I will even get a chance to play but I was wondering if you would like to come and watch the match with me anyway? I thought it might be fun. I-If you have other plans t-that's completely fine though!"

"Tsuna, that sounds like fun. I don't have anything planned so I'd be more than happy to watch the match with you." They stopped walking as they finally made it to Tsuna's house, Ren smiling as Nana opened the door to greet the two of them, Ren waving cheerfully at the friendly woman before turning his attention back to Tsuna with another soft smile.

"Well then, Tsuna I will see you tomorrow. Try not to be late and please show up to school fully clothed in the morning. The last thing we need is for you to capture Hibari's attention next. I don't know how things will turn out if you manage to insult him next time." He mused with an uneasy expression before wrapping his arm around Tsuna, pulling him in for a hug, ignoring both the stuttering coming from the brunette and the cooing coming from Nana as he chuckled softly.

"I don't know how you turned out to be so shy Tsuna. You were always the affectionate and clingy one back when we were children. You were so cute back then, it almost makes me sad that you don't love me enough to hug me anymore." Tsuna immediately turned a brighter red as Ren simply sighed before turning away to start heading to his own house.

"At any rate, I will see you tomorrow-"

He immediately fell silent as he felt arms wrap around his back, blinking in shock as he was hugged from behind and as he turned to face his longtime friend, he immediately gaped at how red Tsuna had become before the younger boy quickly released him with a stuttered goodbye. He watched as the younger boy took off, quickly running into the house and slamming the door behind him, leaving a completely stunned Ren standing there for the longest of moments before a small smile of absolute adoration slowly crossed his lips as his gaze softened.

"You're still as cute as ever Tsuna. It's a shame that Kyoko is the one that you like because I could have easily fallen for you. But, if she is what makes you happy, then that's all that matters."

Anything for Tsuna.


	3. Chapter 3

A soft breath escaped from the fourteen-year-old boy as he released the arrow from his bow, watching with a narrowed gaze as it flew through the air before landing directly in the center of the target once again. For a moment his gaze remained blank before a small smile crossed his lips. He felt a small amount of satisfaction with the fact that he had not missed a single shot throughout his morning practice. It had always been said amongst his teammates that he was the best archer on the team, if not in the entire school just as it had been said that there was a good chance he was going to become one of the best in Japan if he kept practicing.

He only hoped they were right.

He finished his morning practice a short while later, moving to clean everything up before freezing as he heard the sound of clapping. The sound echoed all across the silent field and it took a moment for Ren to locate exactly where the sound was actually coming from, turning only to find an amused Reborn sitting a short distance away.

"I heard that you are praised for your supposed skill with a bow and arrow but I chose to brush it off as gossip until I could see this supposed skill for myself and form my own opinion. I am pleased to see that these rumors are not just mindless chatter after all. You would be of great use to Tsuna if you were to join his family." It was then that Ren froze for a moment as he fixed the demonic baby with a look of absolute confusion, ignoring the absolute dread that filled his chest as he questioned the boy.

"What is it that you mean by joining his family? I know that you are not just an ordinary child, you have made that much abundantly clear, but just what are you exactly?" His gaze narrowed as Reborn merely tipped his fedora, that smirk crossing the infant's lips before he looked up at him as those black eyes narrowed in a twisted sort of delight, apparently amused with the fact that Ren was courageous enough to question him.

"I am a hitman. The world's greatest hitman at that. Your friend Tsuna is meant to become the tenth generation boss of a mafia family called the Vongola and I am here to train him for that position." Ren felt his blood run cold at that information, his mind processing the words slowly as a wave of denial immediately washed over him. There was no way that kind and gentle Tsuna was going to get mixed up in the violent world of the mafia and as he was about to say as much, he fell silent as that tiny hand immediately rose to silence whatever protests he was clearly about to make about Tsuna's future.

"Tsuna himself is adamant that he can deny his destiny, but he will end up becoming the boss. If you want to stay by his side and protect him like you promised back when the two of you were children-" Here Ren's jaw dropped, honestly surprised that Reborn even knew about that promise and as he was about to question how he had known about that he was immediately silenced as the baby spoke again. "- then you will join his family. That is the best way to keep him safe. You know Tsuna better than anyone, once he starts accepting his role where do you think you will fit into his life if you do not join?"

It was then that Ren fell completely silent upon hearing those words, knowing deep down inside of him, as much as he really hated to admit it, that Reborn had a very valid point. Tsuna was a very good and kind person that had many admirable qualities and perhaps the most admirable one was the fact that Tsuna could be completely and utterly selfless if the situation called for it. He would push Ren to the side, would cut the ties to the friendship they had built since they were children if it meant he could keep him away from this and he knew it.

If he wanted to stay friends with Tsuna, he had no choice but to do this and both he and Reborn knew it.

Upon hearing his silence, Reborn simply smirked before tipping his fedora at him again. "Welcome to the family, Honda, Ren. It's fitting that his first and closest friend would become the first member of his family. Now if you will excuse me, I have to return home and wake Tsuna up. I will be sure to let him know that he's already found the first member of his family." As Reborn left him standing alone, Ren stared off into the distance before sighing once again.

What in the hell had he gotten himself into?

* * *

He made his way to the locker rooms, showering and changing into his school uniform before heading to the school's entrance to wait for Tsuna. A surprised look appearing on his face as Tsuna arrived at the school a few moments later. For once, the boy was not running incredibly late and while there was a look of panic on his face, he was not as disheveled as he normally was.

"Good morning Tsuna-"

"Ren! You know that volleyball game I asked you to come and watch with me yesterday? I'm going to have to play after all! I don't know what I'm going to do! I am horrible at sports!" Ren's gaze turned into one of complete shock upon hearing the news before he turned to face the baby sitting on Tsuna's shoulder in suspicion, his quiet accusations immediately answered when Reborn simply smirked as a response.

He knew that Reborn had somehow played a part in this.

"I see. While it is surprising to hear that you will be playing and it is unfortunate that all of those other students are unable to play for some reason, all you can do is try your best. I will be there to cheer you on and I'm sure Kyoko will be there to do the same." He smiled upon seeing the way his friend's cheeks darkened in a blush just from hearing Kyoko's name before he spoke once again.

"Now come on. We should start heading to class before we are late." As the two of them made their way inside to change their shoes, Kyoko approached Tsuna to tell him good morning and as he listened to their conversation, a small smile crossed his lips before he quietly slipped away, walking to class on his own.

It didn't seem like Tsuna would even notice that he was gone in the first place, not with Kyoko keeping him company.

Sure enough, when Tsuna came walking in a few moments later with Kyoko by his side wearing the biggest smile that he had seen him wearing in a very long time, the only thing he could do was smile and look happy for his friend.

Even if it did kind of bother him that Tsuna did not even notice that he had left his side.

Even if Tsuna did not so much as acknowledge him when he took the seat right next to him if Tsuna was happy then it was fine.

He would pick Tsuna's happiness over his own every single time.

Ren's gaze turned to the front of the classroom the minute he heard their sensei begin to speak and as their teacher gave an introduction, green eyes immediately took in the form of a grumpy looking young man with white hair and green eyes who seemed fixated on Tsuna. Ren's eyes slowly narrowed as the boy chose to approach Tsuna and as he moved to kick Tsuna's desk over, Ren's hand immediately shot out to steady Tsuna's chair, keeping his friend from falling over.

"That was very rude of you Gokudera-san. I do not know how it is things are done in Italy but that is not how we introduce ourselves here. Learn quickly and never repeat this mistake again. It will be bad for everyone involved if this becomes some sort of habit." Ren's normally gentle gaze hardened, his grip on Tsuna's chair tightening until his knuckles became white as he gave Gokudera a cold smile that only grew as he saw the other boy's eyes narrow. Ren watched as he simply scoffed before finally making his way to his assigned seat, Ren's gaze only leaving the other boy when he heard Tsuna's soft voice.

"R-Ren.."

"Are you alright Tsuna?"

"Y-Yeah. You stopped my chair before anything could happen."

"I'm glad. If he would have hurt you, I don't think things would have turned out very well for either one of us." Ren mused before turning his gaze to his longtime friend, gifting him a gentle smile as he saw the stunned expression on Tsuna's face before those eyes narrowed once again as he felt a gaze on his back. He turned his head to the side and as he saw Gokudera glaring at him, his mind already began racing with the various ways he could deal with this potential new bully of Tsuna's.

He would be damned if he let anyone bully Tsuna again after everything that had happened with Mochida.

* * *

When the bell finally rang, signaling the end of the day and Tsuna collapsed on his desk, all Ren could do was smile weakly at his friend until they heard footsteps approach the two of them. Ren's gaze immediately narrowed before relaxing as it turned out to only be Yamamato approaching them. He watched as the friendly boy told Tsuna that they were counting on him for the volleyball match, a single brow rising as that brown gaze turned to him a moment later before blinking as he found the boy suddenly standing in front of him, wearing that warm smile as he leaned in towards him, invading his personal space with a smile that he might have considered charming if he had not been horribly uncomfortable with how close the other boy was getting to him.

"We would have loved to have you too Ren! I really wish that you wouldn't have turned us down when we asked you the first two times! We could have all played! It would have been so much fun to have all of us on a team together!" Ren could not help but laugh nervously before gifting the boy a gentle smile as he shifted back, trying to put some distance between him and the oblivious boy who was intent on invading his personal space.

"Ah, I'm sorry but I have had practice with the archery team in preparation for our match against Yumei middle and I could not commit to both. Surely you understand." His body immediately became tense as he felt an arm wind itself around his shoulders, his eyes widening as Yamamoto sat carelessly on his desk before pulling Ren in close to him, the older boy struck speechless as Yamamoto smiled brightly before getting even closer to him, causing Ren to immediately turn a bright red as he inwardly began to panic.

"You'll just have to play with me next time, okay Ren?" Ren was left gaping at him, inwardly singing praises as Tsuna jumped in to save the day, stating that he did not know that Yamamoto was on the volleyball team and the moment that Yamamoto was distracted, Ren took that chance to free himself. He immediately launched himself away from the cheerful male as he straightened himself out, taking the time to fix his uniform while ignoring Yamamoto's confused and slightly hurt stare as the two boys he was with explained that while he was on the baseball team, he was also good at other sports as well.

"You've been so amazing lately Tsuna, you've caught everyone's eye. We're counting on you today, so use some of that last-ditch power!" It was then that Tsuna immediately began to protest, only to freeze up when Kyoko interjected as she told Tsuna that he had been really cool during his match with Mochida and as Hana stated that everyone had stopped calling him Loser Tsuna after their duel. It was then that Kyoko mentioned that she was going to be cheering Tsuna on and Ren could do nothing but smile, happy that his friend was getting such positive attention from the person that had stolen his heart.

"I told you Tsuna, you're more amazing than you know. People are just starting to see what I've always seen. So do your best alright? I will be there to cheer you on as well, though I'm sure mine are not the cheers you are most eager to hear." He smiled playfully at the boy before winking, that smile growing as he saw the blush darkening on Tsuna's face as a response to his gentle teasing.

Tsuna was too cute.

"Y-Yeah. You all can count on me." His gaze softened even further upon seeing the determination that was present on Tsuna's face, his emotions changing into something warm as his heart all but melted within his chest. There was something about Tsuna that invoked this feeling of adoration that resonated deep within his soul, the boy wanting to do whatever he could in order to keep that bright smile always on his face.

It was then that he knew that he had loved Tsuna.

Ren had always known that he adored the younger boy since that day he had latched onto his shirt with those teary eyes of his all of those years ago, but just how much he truly cared for his friend was a reoccurring surprise that always seemed to shock him whenever the strength of his adoration came crashing down on him, especially when it hit him at the worst possible times.

Like now.

He was so caught up in watching his friend that he did not notice the incoming danger, Ren's body immediately tensing up again when he felt an arm wrap around his waist. A quiet yelp was torn from him as his body jolted, a bewildered gaze immediately lifting to meet the amused gaze of Yamamoto once again before those eyes narrowed as he heard the laughter that left the baseball player.

"You look so cute when you're surprised, Ren! Almost like a cute girl whenever she gets scared. It's adorable!" The unintentional insult towards his manhood (or apparent lack of it at that) was enough to make Ren twitch slightly, trying his best to keep his rising blood pressure in check as he tried to pry the boy's arm off of him, oblivious to the stunned stares of his classmates as he did whatever he could to try and get himself away from Yamamoto.

"You do know that I am a boy right, Yamamoto? Boys don't exactly like being called cute or adorable and I am no exception. Now please-"

"-Aw. I'm sorry Ren but I couldn't help it! You're always so formal and proper with everyone but Tsuna, so I've never realized how cute you are before! It took me by surprise is all!" Ren twitched once again, opening his mouth to scold Yamamoto for calling him cute again only to be silenced as the energetic boy spoke again. "I know! Why don't we take this chance to get to know each other better? You said you're coming to the match too, right? Maybe we can walk together to the match and get to know each other better?"

Ren immediately opened his mouth with the intention of denying Yamamoto's request with a kind but stern rejection only to be met with a look that he imagined a kicked puppy would have on its face. It was at that moment that any annoyance he felt towards the other boy immediately died as those wide greens took in the sad look in those normally warm browns. Ren took that moment to swallow roughly as his gaze slowly turned to meet Tsuna's, silently pleading for his friend to come in and help him only for his hope to be dashed as he met the unreadable expression in his friend's sepia eyes, a sigh leaving Ren as he finally surrendered himself to his fate.

Damn Yamamoto for looking so cute.

No, damn his weakness for cute things.

"Very well Yamamoto, lead the way." It was then that Yamamoto immediately perked up, looking as though he had never truly been sad. It was something that left Ren both stunned and with an overwhelming feeling as though he had just been played as a fool, eyes widening as Yamamoto cheerfully agreed with his words before tugging him out of the room, ignoring his stuttering as he cheered about how much fun was going to be.

He had definitely been played for a fool.

* * *

"Hey what's wrong with Honda-kun?"

"I-Is he pouting?"

"I don't know what happened but he looks so cute!"

Ren's mood only darkened even further as he overheard what the girls around him were saying, a pout etched firmly onto his features as his gaze remained stubbornly locked on the floor. Yes, he was pouting like he had done back when he had been a child trying to sway his father into doing what he pleased. He was convinced that if it had worked back then, surely it would work in his favor now and get the general population of Namimori Middle to leave him alone.

He was cute damn it, cute things got what they wanted.

At least, that's what seemed to happen for both Tsuna and Yamamoto at any rate.

His gaze slowly shifted to the entrance of the gym as he heard cheers fill the gym, his foul mood quickly forgotten as a soft smile would cross his lips upon hearing the words of encouragement that his fellow students gifted to Tsuna as he took his place on the court. He watched as the ball was served, being hit towards Tsuna only for Yamamoto to dive and send the ball flying back over onto the other team's side, smiling brightly as their classmates cheered for him.

Then the ball was sent towards Tsuna.

The boy tried his best to hit the ball only to end up getting hit in the face, something that caused Ren to flinch lightly as Tsuna fell to the ground, though the words of encouragement from Yamamoto were enough to make him sigh softly, relieved that they weren't angry at Tsuna. Yet as the match went on, he watched as Tsuna continued to mess up or get hurt at almost every given opportunity, something that made Ren frown as he heard the cheers immediately stop as everyone watched in complete shock, taking in just how bad at volleyball Tsuna truly was.

He wasn't sure how much longer Tsuna could last like this.

The first set ended soon after, Ren watching from a distance as Tsuna got back on the court after a small break looking more determined before something made him cry out as he fell to the ground, Ren's gaze lifting to look around only to falter as he saw a smirking Reborn petting the chameleon that he always had with him.

Well, that wasn't suspicious at all.

His gaze returned to Tsuna as the boy seemingly recollected himself and as the opposing team went to hit the ball Tsuna jumped up to block it only to end up getting hit in the crotch with the ball, something that immediately made Ren wince. He found himself hissing softly as he imagined just how much pain Tsuna had to be in. Even so, that seemed to be enough to get everyone's spirits back up enough to turn the game around because, in the end, their class ended up winning the match.

Everyone was happy again.

Ren smiled as he watched Yamamoto and Tsuna bond over the victory before immediately tensing up when he saw Gokudera begin talking to Tsuna, the glare that he gave him enough to make Ren's blood boil even if he could not hear what was being said to him. He watched as Gokudera grabbed Tsuna before dragging him out, eyes narrowing slightly before he sighed, deciding to help Tsuna out once again as he made his way to the locker where he kept his bows and arrows, silently praying that he was capable of sneaking past Hibari and his band of thugs.

No amount of lying would get him out of trouble if he got caught and the last thing he needed was to be at Hibari's mercy.

* * *

When he finally managed to track down Tsuna once again, the boy was sitting on the floor in his boxers with a confused looking Yamamoto watching as Gokudera bowed down to Tsuna. A single one of Ren's brows rose in confusion as he approached the three boys, immediately capturing Tsuna's attention as those browns eyes widened.

"Here I thought I was going to have to scare the crap out of another bully of yours. You've got everything handled here on your own Tsuna. I'm starting to feel like you might not need me anymore." He mused softly, green eyes almost sad as he looked at his best friend before sighing once again.

"T-That's-"

"That's right. The boss doesn't need you anymore. You might have protected him in the past but your role is over. You can leave him in my hands." Gokudera was too quick to interject himself into the conversation, more than happy to confirm Ren's words and for a moment the black-haired boy simply stared at him before turning his gaze to Tsuna, ready to speak once again only to get cut off as he felt a small pressure land on his shoulder.

"You should not be so quick to dismiss him Gokudera. He is the very first one I decided to recruit into Tsuna's family, after all." Reborn ignored the shriek that left Tsuna as the information was revealed to the three boys.

"I chose Ren for multiple reasons. The first being that Ren has known Tsuna for the longest and as such, is the person who is the closest to him. Ren is also very loyal to Tsuna and his determination to keep him safe will serve the family greatly even if he has no interest in being his right-hand man. It is a shame since he's the one who is best suited for the role. If you are serious about becoming Tsuna's right-hand man, then you should know that having him by our side is a great asset and welcome him with open arms." That was enough to shut the white-haired boy up immediately as he found out the position he was seemingly after was in no danger of being claimed by Ren.

"He's also very talented with that bow and those arrows. We're lucky this little match ended before he could get here with them. I watched him practice this morning and he did not miss a single target. I wonder how well he would have shot knowing that Tsuna was in danger." There was an underlying tone of dark interest in Reborn's voice as he spoke, seemingly very curious about how well Ren would have been able to hit a moving target if Tsuna's life was at stake, something that made Ren laugh nervously.

"Let us not find out alright? I am not one who enjoys the thought of hurting other people. If at all possible, I'd like to avoid things becoming violent. I only brought these here to scare him into leaving Tsuna alone if need be, to actually hurt someone with them, I do not know if I am capable of such a thing." Ren immediately chose to put an end to Reborn's dark thoughts as he sighed once again before turning his gaze to Tsuna, smiling as he moved to help his friend up.

"Tsuna is precious to me but if I can avoid hurting other people I will always choose that route for as long as I am able to. Still, I suppose if it did come down to it if I had no other choice, I would harden my heart and do what is needed in order to protect my precious friend. My feelings and morals in the grand scheme of things do not matter if it means keeping him safe."

Reborn chose that moment to jump from his shoulder as he praised Tsuna, stating that because of his strength that he had not only gained a soldier in Gokudera, but he had also managed to secure Ren's loyalty as well. It was then that Yamamoto threw an arm around Tsuna's shoulder as he laughed, calling him a fun guy before stating that he wanted to join in the game if Gokudera and Ren were playing as well.

Oh dear god, if Yamamoto was going to be around more often, maybe he was going to have to rethink this.

Gokudera took that moment to snarl at Yamamoto, warning him to not be so friendly with Tsuna, something that made Ren scoff slightly before he heard some guys start to make fun of Tsuna. It was at that moment that Ren's features once again went cold as he joined Gokudera who glared at them as well.

"Shall I take care of them or would you like to have that honor, Gokudera-san?" Gokudera's eyes widened upon hearing Ren's words, brow rising slightly before he spoke harshly.

"I thought you said-"

"I am well aware of what I said. If you paid attention, I also said that my feelings and morals don't matter in the grand scheme of things when it comes to Tsuna. Now do you want them or may I have them for myself?"

"Tch. No way, they're mine. It seems like I can already be of service to the boss and you're not taking that away from me, pretty boy." The insult was enough to make Ren twitch lightly as he frowned at Gokudera's back before sighing as the man launched the dynamite at the screaming boys.

He didn't know what he was getting himself into by agreeing to be a part of this family, but as he saw Gokudera making the three third-year bullies nearly piss themselves just because they dared to make fun of Tsuna and as he saw Yamamoto laugh while his arm was around a panicking Tsuna's neck, he found that he didn't regret a single thing.


	4. Chapter 4

A sigh left the lips of the black-haired boy as his body finally rested within the confines of his desk. At that moment in time, the hard wooden seat felt like the most comfortable chair in the world after the morning he had been unfortunate enough to have. There was a feeling deep within himself, something that told him that something was going to happen once again and as much as he tried to brush off those feelings, he had been on edge all morning. It had gotten to the point that his anxiety had even managed to affect his stomach, meaning that the boy had been unable to stomach anything other than a small cup of tea before beginning his morning practice with the archery team.

It was a decision he was beginning to regret now as the pangs of hunger seemed to eat away at the inside of his stomach. Ren tried his best to ignore them as he also tried to fight off the anxiety induced nausea that had been plaguing him all morning. Before long he found his head falling forward to rest upon the surface of his desk as a soft groan left him, completely unaware of the gaze that watched him from across the room. For the longest of moments, a familiar pair of brown eyes remained focused on his figure before the person finally rose from their seat, intent on helping Ren as they left the room completely unnoticed.

Ren would thank them for this later, they were sure of it.

It was a few moments later that Ren finally allowed his head to lift from his desk as he heard someone scramble to get up, watching in confusion as Gokudera of all people ran to stand in front of the door. When the door opened to reveal Tsuna of all people, the confusion turned into the feeling of being seriously creeped out by the white-haired boy. After a few moments of internally debating about whether or not he should be concerned about the fact that Gokudera was already displaying some stalkerlike tendencies towards Tsuna, he simply sighed before rising from his seat, making his way towards the group at a slow and almost lazy pace.

Then he heard what the two of them were talking about and quickly became very amused by what he was hearing.

Gokudera was apparently very adamant about calling Tsuna his "boss" which in turn made Tsuna upset. He watched their small little debate for a few seconds before his gaze lifted as Yamamoto came into his line of sight, holding some sort of bag in his hands as he cheerfully greeted Tsuna. He mentioned something about the three of them still playing Mafia and as he stated that it sounded fun and that he wanted to join, Ren's amused expression quickly turned into one of disbelief.

He could not believe that Yamamoto still thought that this was a game after watching Gokudera all but blow up the three bullies the day prior.

Yamamoto continued to speak, stating that he wanted to join their family only for Gokudera to get defensive as he stated that Yamamoto had to be after the position of Tsuna's right-hand man. He then stated that he was not going to allow that to happen because he was going to fill that position himself, to which Tsuna interjected that they should stop with all of the boss and subordinate business.

"It's no good Tsuna, you might as well let them fight it out." He smiled as he felt Tsuna's gaze turn to him, brow furrowing as he watched Tsuna's expression immediately turn into one of concern as the brown-haired boy was immediately by his side in seconds, Ren's gaze widening as Tsuna's hand immediately moved to rest on his forehead.

"Ren you look awful! Are you sick?" Ren's gaze simply softened upon hearing the concern that laced his friend's voice and for a moment, he could almost pretend that they were children once again and back in a time where Tsuna was infinitely more affectionate towards him. For a moment, he could pretend that Tsuna cared for him as something more than just a childhood friend that he felt some sort of obligation to stay with simply because he had been the only one to see him as something more than the loser Tsuna that everyone once mocked.

Things had changed so much, hadn't they?

* * *

Ren's hand gently lifted to move Tsuna's hand off of his forehead, holding it within his own for a moment before gifting it a gentle squeeze as he slowly released it from his own.

"I am fine Tsuna. Just a bit tired and sluggish is all. My stomach was bothering me this morning so I skipped breakfast and now I'm paying for that decision. Don't worry so much about me. Besides." Here Ren leaned in, whispering quietly in a tone so soft that he ensured only Tsuna could hear it. "Kyoko might get the wrong idea about us if she sees you touching me like that. We don't want to ruin your chances with her before they begin right?"

The way that Tsuna's cheeks darkened immediately at the mere mention of the girl's name told him that he was right and with a warm smile, he pulled away from the boy, missing the way that Tsuna's brows furrowed slightly once Ren's warmth had been stolen away from him as his gaze turned back to the two boys that were still arguing about the whole mafia thing, watching a moment longer before finally interjecting himself into their argument with an annoyed smile.

"Gokudera, Yamamoto never once stated that he wants the position of being Tsuna's right-hand man. He simply stated that he wants to join Tsuna's family. As Tsuna's right-hand man you should be able to see that the more people he has on his side and in his family, the better it is for Tsuna in the long run." That was enough to shut the white-haired boy up as he simply scowled, Ren smiling before he felt a delicate finger tap on his shoulder.

"Hey Honda, you're in the way." Ren's cheeks immediately darkened as he turned to face an annoyed-looking Hana and a cheery-looking Kyoko. The girl immediately greeted Tsuna warmly and Tsuna's face immediately turned into a blushing mess as he smiled warmly at the girl that held his heart in her hands. Ren simply watched the two of them for a moment before turning away as he felt a strong hand settle on his shoulder, the bag that Yamamoto was carrying immediately being placed in his line of vision as the boy smiled sheepishly at Ren.

"I noticed that you weren't looking too good in class and what you said earlier confirmed my suspicions. You're on the archery team, so even if your stomach is upset you need to eat something! You can make yourself seriously sick if you don't eat anything and I don't want to see you sick, so please eat these! They're just some plain rice balls that I brought from home as a quick snack for after baseball practice later but I can always buy something from the cafeteria later. You need them more than I do." Ren's gaze widened upon hearing his words, cheeks darkening immediately as he met the concerned gaze of his classmate.

It was the first time someone had ever done anything like this for him and it was coming from Yamamoto, the person he been so reluctant to get to know only the day before.

He felt so guilty.

"Yamamoto, I-"

"I'm not taking no for an answer Ren. So just accept them and eat them before class begins, alright? If you're that worried about taking my food from me, you can always pay me back with a favor later." Ren's gaze lifted, meeting those warm browns before softening and he simply sighed before gifting the other boy a gentle smile and a small nod as he gently took the bag from the other boy.

"I do not understand why you are being so kind to me, but thank you. I promise I will pay you back as soon as possible. If you ever need anything from me, please do not hesitate to ask me alright?" He gifted the other boy another small smile before the sound of sniffling managed to capture Ren's attention, eyes widening as he saw a child dressed in a cow suit clinging onto Tsuna's leg, crying softly when Tsuna tried to pry the poor child off of his leg.

For a moment he was reminded of a time when Tsuna had been the one crying and clinging onto him, something that caused a feeling to well up within Ren's chest as he immediately kneeled down to be eye level with the child, smiling gently when those green eyes finally met his own. "Are you okay little one?" The child sniffed softly before nodding slowly, mouth opening to say something to him before Tsuna immediately cried out something about returning the child, turning around and sprinting down the hall while Gokudera chased after him.

There was only one person in the entirety of the school that was capable of causing that reaction.

Ren slowly stood up, turning around to face none other than Hibari himself whose eyes narrowed as he ordered everyone to return to class before he bit everyone to death. Ren watched as the students around him immediately scrambled to get to their classes in order to get away from Hibari, scared to death of him and for a moment he simply remained standing there, green meeting those gray for a long moment before Yamamoto called out his name, distracting him long enough to tug him into their classroom.

"Whew! That was close! Any longer and he might have actually come after us!" Yamamoto's cheerful voice broke through the mindless chatter of the classroom as Ren simply sighed, eyes narrowing at the thought of the bloodthirsty prefect coming after him or Yamamoto before those eyes widened when he realized that Tsuna was still out and about and that class was very nearly about to start. He immediately turned to face the door, intending to leave and find the two boys only to be stopped by a hand gripping his shoulder once again and as he turned, he was surprised to be greeted by the sight of a frowning Yamamoto.

"Where are you going? Class is about to start and Hibari is out there. If you leave he'll hurt you!"

"Tsuna is-"

"Tsuna has Gokudera with him. The two of them will be fine. Tsuna wouldn't want you getting hurt by Hibari for his sake. Now sit down and eat the rice balls I gave you."

"But-"

"Ren." The way that his name was said and the uncharacteristic seriousness in Yamamoto's eyes were enough to make whatever argument that he had ready to go immediately die on his tongue. For a moment he was at a loss of words before simply sighing as he moved to take his seat before pulling out a rice ball and biting into it, trying his best not to sulk as he enjoyed the food that Yamamoto had given to him.

Tsuna would be fine.

He hoped.

* * *

As it turned out, he had been worried for nothing.

Tsuna and Gokudera had come to class only minutes after the bell had rung and aside from being scolded by the teacher, Ren had been relieved to find out that Hibari hadn't managed to capture them. As they made their way up to the roof to eat their lunch, sitting down on the ground as they unwrapped their bento boxes. Ren silently listened to the banter between Yamamoto and Gokudera once again before his eyes widened the minute Tsuna opened his bento box and he saw the vibrant colors of the food that lay inside. It was clear that someone had managed to tamper with Tsuna's lunch and the once delicious food was now completely unedible if the fumes that came from the food were anything for him to go by.

It was then that Reborn showed himself, confirming Ren's suspicions when he stated that Tsuna shouldn't eat the food because one bite would kill him. Reborn then immediately called out for someone named Bianchi and as he did the door leading up to the roof swung open, revealing a pretty older woman with long magenta hair and green eyes. Gokudera immediately called her his big sister, causing Ren's gaze to turn into one of disbelief as the white-haired boy curled up on the rooftop in pain, something that went completely ignored by Reborn as he focused on Bianchi, greeting her casually as if this was just another normal day for him.

It was then that Bianch started fangirling over Reborn, stating that his place was in the underworld with her only for Reborn to state that he had made it clear that his place was here in Namimori, training Tsuna. It was then that the woman called him her poor little Reborn, stating that he was trapped there with them unless Tsuna was to die from an accident, something that immediately made Ren's eyes narrow slightly, especially as she said that she was going to return for Reborn once Tsuna died and as she left, Ren simply scoffed as Tsuna panicked.

"Relax. I've told you once and I'll tell you again, I will not let anything happen to you. You are safe as long as you are with me." His hardened gaze softened the moment he met those panicked sepia eyes, sighing as his gaze fell to Tsuna's bento before carefully opening his own, checking it over to make sure that it was not tampered with before offering his own bento to Tsuna.

"Here. Eat mine. It's not as delicious as your mother's cooking but it will have to do for now unless you want to go hungry." Tsuna's gaze widened in shock before he tried to decline Ren's offer only for the older boy to shove the lunchbox into his hands. "Yamamoto was kind enough to give me some rice balls he made for a snack. I ate them right before class started, so I have something in my stomach. Go on and eat Tsuna."

"B-But you're an athlete Ren. You need this food more than I do."

"Tsuna, I will live. Besides, I think we need to get Gokudera to the nurse as soon as possible. He looks like he's in a lot of pain." It was then that Tsuna's gaze fell upon the boy, eyes widening in something akin to horror as Ren sighed.

"Yamamoto, would you help me lift Gokudera-san, please?"

"Sure thing, Ren!"

With some luck, the two of them managed to carry Gokudera all of the way to the nurse's office only to find that she was not there, the two boys taking it upon themselves to lay their friend of sorts on one of the beds before Yamamoto left to try and find her. It was then that Tsuna asked Reborn what was going on and as Reborn explained that she was famous for her poison cooking and that she was a lover of his, Ren immediately felt his blood pressure go up, especially as Gokudera related the story to them about why his stomach acted up when he saw her.

These guys were going to be the death of him one day, he was sure of it.

* * *

Fate finally appeared to be smiling down on him.

After giving his bento to Tsuna and all but forcing the boy to eat it, the moment they returned to class it was announced that the girls had spent the lunch break baking cakes for the boys in their class and as a result, they were going to be giving them to the boys to eat. While Ren did not normally care for sweets, he had come to the conclusion that food was food and at this point, he was willing to eat just about anything. He hoped against all odds that one of the girls in their class liked him enough to want to offer him one of their cakes.

"H-Honda-kun?"

Then fate came to him in the angelic form of one Nanami Kisaragi.

She was a very pretty girl with pretty amber eyes, a girl who was also known for being painfully shy. He watched in something akin to shock as the girl gifted him a shy smile before holding out a plate that held a single piece of what looked to be a very delicious shortcake. "U-Um. I-I know that you don't c-care for sweets. B-But I heard that you like tangerines. S-So I made a shortcake using the tangerines instead of strawberries. I-I hope you like it!" Nanami gifted him another shy smile before all but shoving the plate into his hands, the boy looking at the beautiful looking piece of cake before looking at the girl as though she was an angel sent from heaven itself.

Oh, he could kiss her.

Green eyes immediately softened as they fell upon the girl, gifting her the warm smile that he was known for before he finally spoke to her. "Thank you Kisaragi-chan. You are truly a lifesaver. Something happened to my bento during lunchtime, so I was not able to eat lunch today. I promise that I will savor each and every bite of this delicious looking cake." He finished before bowing his head in gratitude, ignoring the squeals from the girls that filled the air as a result of his actions as he took a bite of the cake, a blissful sigh leaving him as his eyes closed in absolute pleasure.

The cake was absolutely delicious.

While he did not normally care for sweets of any kind, he could appreciate the hard work that went into making a cake as good as the one that Nanami had made for him and as a result, the boy gleefully nibbled on his piece cake, lost to his surroundings up until he felt an intense gaze on him. Slowly he looked up only to meet Tsuna's gaze, watching as the boy eyed his half-eaten cake with a look that could only be described as burning desire and immediately Ren brought the plate of cake closer to himself, eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke.

"You are not getting my cake Tsuna. Anything else I would gladly give you but I am hungry and Kisaragi-chan specifically made this with me in mind. It would be extremely rude to give it away." Tsuna's eyes narrowed upon hearing Ren refuse to give him the one item he wanted more than anything else and in return, Ren simply watched him as he cut another piece of cake off of the slice with his fork, slowly lifting the pastry up to his mouth with the intention of eating another piece.

It was then that all hell broke loose.

Tsuna took that moment to lunge at Ren and in his haste to get out of the way, Ren somehow managed to trip over something. A gasp left his mouth as he flew forward only to be caught by someone before he could hit the ground. Horrified greens watched as his cake flew through the air only to be caught effortlessly by Tsuna who quickly devoured what was left of his slice of cake while all he could do was watch.

"M-My cake."

"Now, now. It's okay Ren. None of us even got to taste any cake because Tsuna ate it all before we could try it. At least you managed to get half of a slice to yourself, right?" The moment he heard Yamamoto's voice his gaze lifted before widening almost comically as his face exploded in a dark blush. He was at a complete loss of words as he immediately scrambled to stand upright, cheeks darkening even further as he heard the squeals from the girls that were way too delighted by the fact that Yamamoto had caught him before could hit the ground.

Girls were weird.

It was a moment later the boy that they had seen earlier that morning came running inside demanding cake before bursting into tears when he realized there was no cake left. He immediately pulled out a giant purple thing and threw himself into it before disappearing in a cloud of pink smoke, an older man standing in his place seconds later. It was then that Bianchi appeared carrying a big purple cake, looking at the boy and calling him Romeo before throwing it in his face and telling him to die as she stomped off.

Apparently, he looked a lot like Bianchi's ex-boyfriend and things had ended badly between the two of them before they broke up. Tsuna immediately started panicking as he tried shaking him awake only for Reborn to state that the medical technology in ten years might be able to save him.

That woman truly was terrifying.

* * *

"Um, Ren. I have a question for you if you d-don't mind my asking." Ren simply hummed quietly as his gaze turned to meet Tsuna's, a smile crossing his lips before he could stop it. There was something about Tsuna that just always made him want to smile, even when he had not actually done anything.

"What is it Tsuna? You know you can ask or tell me anything without hesitation."

"I was wondering. What's going on between you and Yamamoto? You guys a-already seem to be getting close. Even though you barely spoke to each other for the first time yesterday." Ren simply paused for a moment as he considered Tsuna's question, gaze looking off to the side as he ignored the sulking Gokudera who appeared to be angry with the fact that Ren was getting so much attention from his beloved boss.

"Well, I wouldn't say we are close friends or anything yet, but it is true that I am trying to be nicer to him. He is a kind boy who went out of his way to help me this morning so I wouldn't go hungry all day long. He did not have to do any of that and yet, he did. It was surprising and really a very kind gesture, so how could I not want to get along with someone who went out of their way for me?" A simple act of kindness always went a very long way with Ren and the fact that Yamamoto had not even expected anything back from Ren initially really spoke a lot about the kind of person he was.

Ren liked people like him.

His smile became soft at the thought and the sight of Ren smiling so softly when thinking of someone else immediately caused an ugly feeling to form within Tsuna's chest as his brown eyes narrowed the slightest bit. Tsuna had always been so used to having Ren by his side and while Ren had always been warm and kind to everyone in their class, he had also always kept them at arm's distance, apparently content with having Tsuna as his only friend and companion until now. Seeing Yamamoto, (who he had seen watching Ren numerous times in the past when Ren wasn't paying attention,) using the mafia thing as a chance to get closer to Ren wasn't something that he was sure he appreciated.

Even if Yamamoto wasn't actually aware of what he was doing, he _didn't_ like it.

He wondered how many other people might try to do the same thing if they knew about the mafia.

Ren had always stated that there was something great within Tsuna that was enough to allow Ren to look past all of the numerous flaws that Tsuna knew he had and yet, Ren could not even see the fact that people genuinely liked him. There was something about his warm and gentle nature, the fact that he was so fiercely protective over the people that he loved that drew people to him like flies to honey and while he was positive that he liked Kyoko, there was something within him that longed for his childhood friend just as badly.

Was he attracted to Ren just like he was attracted to Kyoko?

He was not sure but as he saw Ren's hair blow in the gentle breeze, saw the way that his skin glowed in the setting sun, he knew that there was potentially something there in the way his heart jumped as a sort of longing for his childhood friend filled it and at the same time, a sort of self-hatred filled the boy as he finally realized what he wanted.

It was so selfish of him to expect Ren to stay by his side without finding someone that he loved just so Tsuna could figure out whatever it was that he felt for him and Kyoko. Even so, the thought that Ren might one day find someone more precious to him than he was, the thought that Ren might one day leave him with nothing more than just memories of their friendship was enough to keep him silent.

It was selfish, yes.

But if it meant keeping Ren by his side for just a while longer while he figured himself out, he was ultimately fine with it.

* * *

Just like that we are on chapter four!

I just wanted to take the time to thank all of you guys who have read up to this point and I especially would like to thank those of you who have left reviews up to this point! I really appreciate that you guys take the time out of your day to write something for me, constructive or positive, it means a lot to me.

I've seen that some of you guys are rooting for Tsuna x Ren to be the end pairing, I can see why since they are really cute. At this point, I'm still not sure who Ren will end up with since I am still mostly on the fence, but I will reveal to you that Ren will have three other potential love interests aside from Tsuna. One of them, I'm sure you have guessed by now who it is since I made it fairly obvious who is interested in Ren, but I wonder if you guys can guess who the other two are going to be?

At any rate, thank you guys for reading and for those of you that have left reviews, thank you even more!

I hope you will all continue on this journey with me and that you guys will enjoy the ending, no matter what happens!

~ Xayden


	5. Chapter 5

"What in the world is she doing?" The words escaped from Ren's mouth before the boy could stop them, green eyes watching with a raised brow as a brown-haired girl walked along the top of a wall as she made her way towards the three of them. He watched as the girl spoke solely to Reborn, introducing herself as Haru Miura before asking if she could be the sadistic baby's friend, to the great surprise of both Ren and Tsuna as both boys gave each other a look of complete dread, that looking growing as Reborn accepted her offer of friendship.

That baby was going to mess with the poor girl, they already knew it.

"Miura-san, I really don't think-" Ren began softly, trying his best not to upset the seemingly cheerful girl only to be completely brushed off as she jumped to the ground cheering, only to ask Reborn for a hug. It was then that Reborn stated she should not be so quick to touch him, even going as far as to say that he was a hitman as he made that weird pet of his turn into a gun. Ren's gaze narrowed as he took in the way the girl's expression changed, watching as her gaze turned to Tsuna as he scolded Reborn for saying that. He watched as her gaze narrowed the slightest bit and as he saw her hand twitch, his own hand lifted to block the hit that she aimed toward's Tsuna's face, catching her hand gently within his own as he gave her a cold smile.

"Now Miura-san. There is no need for violence, especially not towards Tsuna. He's done nothing but simply watch, as have I. I would appreciate it if you kept your hands to yourself in the future, alright?" He released her hand, though he stayed positioned in front of Tsuna so he could potentially intercept any other strikes the girl tried to hit Tsuna with, making it very clear that the girl was not going to be able to hit him as long as he was around.

It was then that she started saying that both of them were bad influences on the cute little Reborn. She called both of them despicable, before asking what they were teaching the baby. She told them that babies were angels with pure hearts, something that made Ren scoff silently before falling silent as Reborn fixed him with that beady stare, silently daring him to say that he was anything other than pure and innocent, only for Ren to fix him with a smile in return. He may have completely disagreed with the girl, but he didn't need to say it out loud in order to voice his opinion.

He didn't have a death wish, after all.

It was then that she approached the two of them and that green gaze immediately became sharp, causing the girl to freeze as Ren's smile became cold once again as his eyes narrowed dangerously, silently daring her to try harming Tsuna once again. He watched as she stuttered for a second before stating that the two of them were destroying Reborn's young, pure innocence with their rotten hearts and as Tsuna stated that he had no idea what the girl was going on about, Ren wisely chose to remain silent and watch.

This girl was crazy and as far as he was concerned, there was no helping crazy.

It was a moment later that they heard laughter coming from nowhere and as Ren glanced up, his eyes immediately widened upon seeing the child dressed in a cow suit that had been at their school clinging onto Tsuna's leg the day before come swinging in on a rope that he had tied to the top of a telephone pole. He shouted out that he was coming for Reborn before reaching into his afro and pulling out two items that looked suspiciously like grenades only to fall. Ren's gaze immediately widened as he moved to catch the child before his head could slam into the pavement, smiling weakly down at those big green eyes.

"Are you okay little one? You should be more careful, you could have gotten seriously-"

"Get away from that baby!" Ren blinked as the child was ripped away from his arms, stumbling back a few steps as he was shoved away from the poor child. He watched with a stunned look in his eyes as the poor child was squished to the girl's chest, looking incredibly uncomfortable and as Ren was about to come to the child's rescue he was immediately yanked forward by Tsuna who had taken his hand into his own and was pulling him away with a surprising amount of strength.

"Come on Ren! We need to leave while she's distracted!"

"W-What? Tsuna we're not really going to leave that poor thing alone with that crazy woman are we? Who knows what she'll do to him!"

"He'll be fine, trust me! She won't hurt him! But we need to go or we'll be late!" Ren sighed as he allowed himself to be led away by the frantic Tsuna, chancing a glance back at the poor child while apologizing repeatedly in his mind for abandoning him instead of saving him from that crazy woman.

He only hoped that Tsuna was right about her.

* * *

Against all odds, they managed to make it into their classroom just moments before their sensei walked inside, Ren sitting at his desk as he straightened his uniform only to sigh as their sensei immediately called out his name the minute that the bell rang. He stood up silently, hands resting behind his back as he listened to Gokudera's name being called out as well, looking over his shoulder to watch as the white-haired boy stood as well.

"Honda Ren, Gokudera Hayato. You both scored a hundred on your last math test." Both boys moved to collect their tests from their sensei, Ren muttering a quiet congratulations to Gokudera only to have the boy scoff at his words, something that caused Ren's smile to falter slightly before it returned as a stiff, polite smile instead as he returned to his seat, not responding to the quiet praises of his classmates with anything but a small nod and that same distant smile.

He didn't know why Gokudera didn't like him but to be honest, it kind of bothered him.

The two of them were to be members of Tsuna's family in the future, with Gokudera serving as Tsuna's right-hand man. Ren was Tsuna's closest friend, who only wanted the best for Tsuna as well as to keep the boy happy and protected. They both only wanted the best for Tsuna, so that meant that they should both try to get along and do their best to ensure that Tsuna did his best.

So why was Gokudera making things difficult?

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Tsuna praised Gokudera, a thing that he had not even done for Ren, only for the boy to smile sweetly and say that it was nothing and unbidden, a soft sigh was stolen from Ren as his gaze fell ahead to the front of the classroom. He listened silently as their sensei called Tsuna and Yamamoto's name, telling them that they both scored twenty points on their tests. They were told that failing grades meant that they would be assigned special homework that was going to be due the following day. They were also told that they would need to get every single answer on their homework correct or they would fail their math class entirely.

Their sensei clearly wasn't playing around anymore.

* * *

By the end of the day as the bell rang Ren noticed that Tsuna seemed to be troubled by the fact that he might potentially fail their math class. Ren simply sighed as he gathered up his belongings, taking care to pack them away carefully before turning to face his friend with a calm smile as his hand reached out to gentle ruffle Tsuna's hair, causing the boy to yelp cutely before turning a bright red as he gave half-hearted protests for Ren to stop.

"Sorry, I simply could not help myself. You seemed so troubled earlier Tsuna, I had to do something to distract you. If this is about the homework thing, try not to worry about it so much. I am sure you will pull through just fine and if you do need help, you know that you can always ask me, right?" Tsuna's gaze seemed to immediately brighten up at Ren's offer of helping him with his homework before his gaze immediately dimmed and that smile faltered.

"You got a high score along with Gokudera and I didn't even tell you anything! Ren I-" Tsuna was cut off as Yamamoto immediately came over, throwing an arm around Ren's neck with a wide grin, Tsuna's brown eyes narrowing slightly as he saw Ren tense up yet again and the minute that Ren's cheeks darkened into a blush, he swallowed roughly before turning his attention to Yamamoto who was studying Ren a little too closely for Tsuna's liking before the baseball player finally spoke.

"I heard Ren mention that he's willing to help you with your homework. I was wondering if I could join both of you as well? I think it will go much faster if we do it together! Besides, I could use some help too!" Tsuna watched as Ren swallowed roughly before gently moving to free himself from Yamamoto's grasp once again, fixing his uniform as he straightened himself out, part of him hoping that Ren was going to tell him that his offer only extended to Tsuna and yet, he knew that Ren wasn't that type of person.

It was with a sigh that he relented himself to spending the afternoon sharing Ren's attention with Yamamoto as Ren quietly agreed to help him as well.

Why did he have a feeling that this was going to end badly?

* * *

Tsuna could not believe just how laughably bad his luck was.

As the three of them had made it to the entrance of the school he heard the frantic cries of Ren's name and watched in horror as his friend was snatched up by two older members of the archery team. They apologized frantically to both Yamamoto and Tsuna before stating that they needed to borrow Ren for a while. They were told that their captain was asking for Ren's help with something and that they needed to borrow him for an hour or two, promising to send him straight to Tsuna's home when they were done with him and as they carried off his best friend all he could do was watch as Yamamoto smiled.

"Haha, Ren sure is popular lately isn't he? It seems like whenever I finally have a chance to talk to him someone's right around the corner ready to steal him away from me. But then again, it seems like it has always been this way." Those words were enough to cause Tsuna to blink in confusion before he turned his gaze to Yamamoto, who smiled at Tsuna. "I was hoping I'd have this chance to talk to you anyways, I guess now's the time. Now I don't want you to take this the wrong way, so I'll say this first. I didn't want to play with you guys just to get close to Ren. You seem like a cool guy Tsuna and if Ren likes you, you have to be nice too. I really do want us to be friends."

"W-Wait. Y-Yamamoto. You've said that people have always stolen Ren away from you, what do you mean by that? Ren's been my friend since we were children, I've never seen you talk to him before now." Yamamoto's smile faltered the moment Tsuna's words left his lips, causing the boy to immediately feel guilty.

"Do you remember how you and Ren met? Well, you two weren't the only children at the park that day. I was there when Ren's father brought him that first day. I was playing with all of the other kids on the playground and imagine my surprise when a boy who I had never seen before comes over, takes one look at us and just walks away. I had never seen him before and I was curious so I followed him. I was there that day when Ren saved you from those kids that were picking on you Tsuna."

Tsuna's jaw dropped the moment that information was revealed, eyes widening as his cheeks immediately darkened at the thought of Yamamoto watching as Tsuna clung onto Ren while crying.

"I thought it was so cool that he stood up for you against those bullies. I really wanted to be his friend too but every time I tried to befriend him, there you were stealing his attention away from me. I don't know if you were jealous about Ren making a new friend or if you thought I was trying to steal him away from you or even if you thought I was going to bully you too, but eventually, I stopped trying and decided that just watching him was enough. You see, I've always liked him Tsuna. Which brings me to my next question."

He paused for a moment, seemingly embarrassed about his next question which was something that honestly surprised Tsuna, who was used to seeing the carefree side of him at almost every turn.

"You and Ren, you two are just friends right?" Tsuna nearly choked upon hearing the question asked so bluntly, cheeks turning a bright red as he immediately stuttered, heart racing in his chest as he tried his best to collect himself as Yamamoto kept talking. "I mean, I have heard that you have a crush on Kyoko and for a while, I believed it but lately, I've been watching you and Ren and sometimes, you two seem to be a bit too close to be just friends."

Tsuna managed to calm himself down long enough to begin a response to Yamamoto's question, only to be silenced by the baseball player's next admission.

"That being said, I know that the two of you are close and I want to make sure that there isn't anything going on between the two of you. To be honest, I really like Ren. I think he's a good guy even if he is a little shy. Since you have Kyoko, I hope you don't mind if I take my chance with Ren. I promise I'll make him happy if he gives me a chance." Tsuna's mouth closed as he swallowed roughly, that ugly feeling welling up in his chest the moment that Yamamoto revealed the very thing that he had suspected all along, a sigh leaving him as he thought very carefully about what he was going to say before beginning to speak.

"Actually-"

"Thanks, Tsuna! I knew that you'd be okay with it! Now since Ren isn't here, are we still going to meet up at your house as we planned?" Tsuna's jaw nearly dropped for a moment at being so easily dismissed by the other boy after having been asked such a serious question before swallowing roughly.

"Y-Yeah. We'll meet at my house just like we planned. I'll see you there Yamamoto." While he was more than a little bit upset that Yamamoto liked Ren and while he was irritated that he had not let him get a word in to explain himself, he also knew that Yamamoto was a good person and would be a good friend to have, not only for him but for Ren as well.

Though if Yamamoto thought he was going to sit back and let him take Ren for himself, he had another thing coming.

While he did like Kyoko and he was attracted to her, it became apparent over these last few days that the idea of someone coming in and taking Ren away from him was something that was borderline unbearable, especially since Yamamoto revealed that he had been trying to be something to Ren since their childhood. The idea that it very easily could have been Yamamoto in his place instead caused that ugly feeling within his chest to grow even worse and for a moment, Tsuna was at a complete loss.

He didn't like the idea that his place in Ren's life could have very easily been taken by someone else.

"Ahh, what am I getting worked up about? We're just friends and besides, Ren's been around for as long as I can remember. He won't just abandon me for anyone else." Tsuna murmured quietly to himself, also taking care to remind himself that Ren was still very much uncomfortable around Yamamoto, rejecting each of the baseball player's attempts to touch him whenever he got a chance to while just the other day, he had pouted because Tsuna didn't love him enough to hug him anymore.

It was clear where Ren's heart was, even if he did had the habit of attracting other people like bugs to honey.

That was what he told himself at any rate.

* * *

Imagine everyone's great frustration when their tutoring session became a full out party. It had been Reborn's idea to invite Gokudera to the homework session with the idea that the two smart students should work together to tutor the two dumb ones. While it had started out that way at first, it soon became apparent that Gokudera had seen it as a competition of sorts and took every chance he could to interrupt Ren whenever he spoke or shut down every suggestion he made.

While Ren was patient, even he had his limits.

Ren had decided that it was for the best if Gokudera tutored Tsuna on his own while he went over the work with Yamamoto, who much to his great surprise was catching on a lot faster than he had anticipated. The black-haired boy skimmed over each bit of Yamamoto's work before smiling gently at the other boy. "So you're smarter than you let on. All of these answers are correct. You should focus more on your schoolwork, Yamamoto."

"Haha, it isn't that hard now that I've read the textbook and the way you explained things really did help Ren. Though I still can't figure out the seventh problem." Ren smiled again before leaning over, ignoring the closeness between the two of them as he read the seventh problem before his brow furrowed slightly in confusion.

"Um. I'm not quite sure how we are supposed to answer this one honestly." Ren mused sheepishly, wincing when Gokudera scoffed before snatching the paper while calling both of them stupid only for Tsuna to state that he did not understand most of the problems, never mind just the seventh one. It was those words that managed to shut the boy up before he focused on the problem only for him not to be able to come up with an answer either.

Then that crazy girl burst into Tsuna's room and it all went to hell.

Ren sat completely still, features never faltering even for a moment as the girl slammed the cup of juice down in front of him before sitting down behind him. He could feel the glare piercing his back and simply sighed before speaking very calmly to the girl that sat behind him. "Just so you know I do detest violence of any sort but if you try attacking myself or any of my companions here, I will restrain you by any means necessary. Even if you are a woman, a threat is a threat regardless of gender and I will do all that I can in my power to restrain you if you try hitting anyone again, do I make myself clear?"

He fixed the girl over his shoulder with a very cold stare which immediately made her squeak before she gave Ren a shaky yes, something that made him hum in response as he took a careful sip of his drink. It was then that Yamamoto asked how Tsuna knew someone from Midori Middle before stating that there was a chance she could solve the seventh problem since she came from such an elite school.

"It is worth a try." Ren mused before looking at her over his shoulder once again, watching as her expression became determined. She stated that she would try to solve it but in return, if she solved it then they could no longer have anything to do with Reborn in exchange, something that made Ren scoff quietly at the boldness of the girl.

She had some nerve.

Ren sighed as Haru took a seat at the table, looking over the problem with a troubled expression on her face before stating that she had seen it before. Knowing that it was going to take a while before anything was solved, Ren decided to finish the last of his own homework while he waited for her to solve the problem, humming as she kept asking for more and more time. It was a few hours later before she finally admitted that she didn't know how to solve the problem and as Ren packed away the finished homework he listened as Gokudera yelled at her for wasting their time, even going as far as to call her a deceitful vixen only for her to defend herself by saying that she had never said that she could solve the problem before bursting into tears.

Oh, boy.

* * *

Ren watched in silence as everyone turned on Gokudera for making the crazy girl cry only for the white-haired boy to try bringing him into the conversation. "I only said she was lying! Why the hell aren't you guys yelling at Honda?! He's the one who threatened her!" A sigh left the boy as his hand ran through his hair, smoothing back the long black strands in an effort to soothe his growing irritation before speaking.

"I did not threaten her. I merely told her that if she tried resorting to violence on anyone here like she did this morning that I would step in and restrain her by any means necessary and I only even said that much because when we met her this morning, one of the very first things she tried to do was hit Tsuna, which is unacceptable. Never once did I promise physical harm or anything of the sort. Nor did I call her any names, as you did, Gokudera-san." He smiled as the boy's complexion turned red from embarrassment before he grumbled and faced the girl, attempting to apologize to her only for that kid in the cow suit to interrupt the moment once again, this time singing a cute song that introduced himself as Lambo.

Oh, thank the fates he survived.

Lambo immediately became scared of Gokudera who glared at him darkly before stating that he was passing through only to immediately jump onto the table when he saw the cookies that Tsuna's mother had made for them. He stated that eating cookies brought happiness and that all he wanted to do when he was happy was lie down and sleep, something that made Ren smile softly at the child's words only for that smile to falter when Haru grabbed him again and started cuddling him, apparently determined to keep the child away from him for some reason.

It was a few moments later that Lambo lay on Tsuna's bed, sleeping peacefully as his stomach bulged out from all of the cookies he had eaten and Haru stated that since it was a middle school problem that they would learn the answer by asking an adult, something that made Ren's brow furrow slightly as his mouth opened. "I don't think that it's a normal middle school problem though. It's certainly not if Gokudera and I both couldn't solve it ourselves. Something's not adding up he-" He was cut off as the girl brought up asking Bianchi, only for the door to open as Bianchi announced that she had brought some night snacks.

It was then that Gokudera moved quicker than Ren had ever seen another person ever move, shoving his body against the door and forcing it shut as he barred the door, only for the woman to melt the door handle with some poisoned mochi. Ren's gaze widened as he watched Gokudera hit the ground the moment he saw Bianchi's face, wincing for a moment before standing with a sigh.

"Yamamoto, give me a hand again please?"

"Haha, sure!"

The two of them managed to place Gokudera on the bed next to Lambo before joining Haru, Tsuna, and Bianchi at the table as she looked over the problem, only to state that it didn't matter as she ripped up the worksheet. As she walked out, Haru stated that the problem had been in one of the books that her father had been reading, something that caused Ren to sigh in disbelief as he fixed the girl with a somewhat annoyed stare though he forced himself to remain silent until he felt his annoyance simmer down, waiting until he felt as though he could speak to the girl without snapping at her to finally say something to her.

"Perhaps you should call him then? That way we can finally solve the problem." It was a short while later that Haru's father showed up at Tsuna's house, looking over the worksheet before stating that it wasn't a surprise that they couldn't solve the problem because it was a complex, university-level problem. The answer was apparently that it could not be solved because it could never happen only for Reborn to interject that it could be solved if the papers were glued together.

Apparently Reborn was some kind of mathematical genius.

Go figure.

* * *

"Yesterday was seriously awful," Tsuna whined as he and Ren made their way to school early the following morning, a simple hum of agreement leaving the green-eyed boy as he walked alongside the brunette before Ren's eyes narrowed as he felt a gaze on his back. He froze before moving to glance over his shoulder only to find nothing there much to his great annoyance. "Is something wrong Ren? You seem kind of jumpy this morning."

"Ah, Tsuna. I just can't help but feel like we haven't seen the last of that crazy girl. You saw the look on her face when she left yesterday and she doesn't seem like the type to give up so easily." Ren looked behind them one last time before sighing and deciding that maybe he was just being paranoid after all, walking a few steps ahead to catch up to Tsuna only for the sound of clanking metal to capture his attention and as he looked over his shoulder once again, those green eyes immediately widened as he saw a figure dressed in some weird armor type thing, holding a hockey stick.

"Son of a b-"

"Ren! W-What?" He ignored his friend's words as he immediately grabbed onto Tsuna's arm, tugging him as he took off running while dragging the boy behind him. "R-REN! SLOW DOWN! YOU'RE RUNNING TOO FAAAAAAST!" He ignored his friend's protest as he looked over his shoulder, hissing when he saw the figure chasing after the two of them. A low growl left the frustrated boy as he began running even faster in an attempt to lose the crazy girl that he knew was chasing them.

Tsuna would thank him for this later.

They managed to make it as far as the bridge before Tsuna managed to stumble, knocking both of them over in the process and by the time they managed to recollect themselves, the girl was standing a short distance away, panting and heaving as she tried to collect her breath. They listened as she called out to Tsuna before telling him good morning and as Tsuna asked who she was, Haru took off her helmet to reveal herself to the two of them.

She really was crazy.

She stated that since Reborn was training him to be the Tenth Mafia boss that he should be really strong and that she wanted to challenge him. She said that if he beat her, that she would accept everything and not say a thing about how Reborn was being raised. She then asked him to accept her challenge before charging at Tsuna with the hockey stick raised, Ren immediately pushing Tsuna behind him as he glared at the girl that approached them darkly, body growing tense as he got ready to spring into action to protect both him and Tsuna if he needed to.

"Coming to fight someone unarmed with a weapon is not only underhanded, but it's also cowardly." He hissed as his expression became even darker watching as the girl stumbled before attempting to slam the hockey stick down on them. Ren quickly moved out of the way, keeping Tsuna behind him as the girl kept advancing towards the two of them with the hockey stick.

Then they heard the cry for Tsuna to get down.

Ren's gaze shot up above, widening in shock as there was a sudden explosion above them, yelping as the force of the dynamite set him over the rail of the bridge and into the freezing water below. After getting over the shock of being knocked into the water, he quickly kicked up from below, breaching the surface of the water and gasping for air only to hear shrieking coming from a short distance away. He watched as Haru flailed, unable to swim due to the weight of the armor she was wearing and upon hearing the argument from above along with Tsuna's declaration that he could not swim, he decided to make the sacrifice so Tsuna did not have to get involved in saving the crazy girl that had just attacked them.

Though it did sting a bit that Tsuna did not seem to realize that he had been caught up in the blast as well.

Quickly Ren swam over to her, immediately taking off bits and pieces of the armor that she had been wearing until she was light enough for him to help, diving under her and grabbing onto her hip from behind, his left hand moving up to grab her chin and tilt it back before he broke water and began doing a side stroke to get them to shore, ensuring that the panicking girl could not reach him and attempt to drown him. The moment that they reached the shore he helped her grab onto the ledge, watching as she pulled herself up before getting out of the water himself.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes, but why did you save me? I-I thought that you didn't like me."

"I don't. Frankly, you've been nothing but a bother to me since yesterday morning. I do not like that you tried to hit Tsuna yesterday morning even though he did nothing to provoke you nor do I like that you took advantage of Nana's naive nature to pester Tsuna even more. I do not like the fact that you chased us around town and tried to attack us while we were unarmed." It was then that Ren noticed the tears that were building up in Haru's eyes and he immediately sighed, remembering the scolding that Gokudera received yesterday and he forced himself to exhale, calming himself before his gaze softened and forcing his tone of voice to become less harsh.

"That being said, all life is precious. I may not have appreciated everything that you put Tsuna and I through, but just because I do not like you does not mean that I'm going to just let you drown. That would be truly despicable and it would only prove the horrible things that you said about Tsuna and I right in the end." He watched as the girl looked away with a sheepish expression before sighing.

"I don't expect you to thank me and I don't expect things to change. Frankly, this whole thing has been tiresome. Please just stop attacking Tsuna and I and I will call us even alright?"

"I just don't understand. Why would you put yourself at risk for his sake? Shouldn't you be more worried about yourself? Ever since yesterday all you've done is protect him and I don't understand why! He didn't even notice that you were in the water with me!" For a moment, Ren listened to her words before chuckling softly, much to the girl's great confusion before he smiled gently at her.

"The funny thing about that is that I do not care about what happens to me as long as Tsuna is happy and safe. I protect him from danger because he is a very dear person that I hold close to my heart. I do not ever want to see him hurt or suffering if I can help it and I will do whatever I can to ensure that it never happens, even if I need to sacrifice myself in the process. Tsuna is a good and kind person if you know where to look. Even if he is a bit silly and oblivious at times. Just give him a chance and one day, you will see what I see."

It was then that he heard footsteps come rushing towards the two of them and he sighed before falling silent as the three boys stopped in front of him, taking his bag from a quiet Yamamoto with a silent thanks before digging through it and pulling out two towels, offering one to a confused Haru. "I am on the archery team at Namimori Middle and I always carry towels with me so I can shower after practice. Use this one and dry yourself off properly before you catch a cold."

The two sat there in silence for a long moment as they dried themselves off before Yamamoto moved over towards Haru, seemingly looking her over for injuries while Gokudera scolded her and told her to stop stalking Tsuna. Yamamoto then calmly told that she should not have been waving around the hockey stick like that.

Tsuna, however, was too busy freaking out over the fact that Ren had been knocked into the water without him even noticing.

"Tsuna, I'm fine. I did get a little scratched up but other than that I'm perfectly fine. You do not have to worry about me."

"B-But you fell. You could have hurt yourself! Not only that but you got dragged into something because of me again, I don't know how you're so calm about this! I don't know why you still hang around me after all of the trouble I drag you into."

"Yes, you do Tsuna. You're precious to me. I've told you more times than I can count though for some reason you choose not to listen. It's a shame. One day I might just get tired of repeating myself and stop saying it altogether and then you'll be sorry you never listened." He could not help but tease the boy, blinking when an arm was thrown around his shoulder before yelping as Yamamoto invaded his space again with that same cheery smile that he always wore, though this time Ren was too tired to freak out, choosing instead to simply relax as he allowed his head to fall onto Yamamoto's shoulder, something that made the baseball player smile even wider.

"You're finally not freaking out when I touch you, Ren! Does that mean you've finally decided to accept me as a friend? Truth be told I've been wanting to be your friend for a while now and I didn't know how to approach you since you're so distant sometimes." Ren's gaze lifted from staring blankly ahead to looking at Yamamoto with a single raised brow.

"Did you ever think to maybe ask? I don't bite you know. As for the freaking out thing, I'm not used to people other than my parents and Tsuna touching me. I didn't exactly know how to react when you started touching me out of nowhere, Yamamoto." When the boy gave a sheepish smile in return, Ren simply sighed before shaking his head in exasperation as his hand slid up to rub at his temples in order to fight off the impending headache.

"If it means that much to you, I will be your friend." The smile that he got from the baseball player in return was enough to make him turn red, gaze quickly averting to the ground as he coughed softly in an attempt to try and hide his embarrassment before Haru's loud voice filled the air and caught his attention.

She seemed to be fawning over Tsuna now for some reason.

He watched as Tsuna bolted over to him, pushing him towards the overly excited girl while yelling that this was entirely his fault, something that caused Ren to blink in confusion as he looked down at the excited girl.

"You said that he was precious to you and that I should try to see what you see and I figured it out! Tsuna is like a damsel in distress despite being the tenth boss! I figured out why he's so precious and I want to be the one to protect him too! I've fallen in love with him and I want to hold him tight!" It was then that she ran around screaming after Tsuna, leaving Ren and everyone else to watch as she chased him with a bewildered expression on all of their faces before Ren could not take it any longer and simply burst into laughter.

"REN! WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?! HEEELP!"

"Of all the things I've seen you chased by, I never thought a love-struck girl would be one of them. I'm sorry Tsuna but if there's one thing my mother taught me, it's never to interfere in matters of love. I'm afraid this is one thing I cannot help you with."

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?! SHE'S CRAZY! HELP!"

"She may be crazy but she's your problem now Tsuna, good luck."

"REEEEEEEN!"

* * *

**Chapter five is finally done.**

**I know this was a pretty long chapter compared to what I normally write for this particular story but I did feel as though there were certain elements that needed to be brought to light in this particular chapter, hence the length and now that the chapter is over, I find that I do have to address a few things. The first being that, yes, Yamamoto has technically known Ren for about as long as Tsuna has. I was tempted to write a little excerpt in the first chapter of Ren being annoyed by a particularly loud child and walking away, but I figured that Yamamoto already got the short end of the stick as it is, so I decided to leave that out.**

**The second is that Ren is very easily annoyed even if it does take a while for him to finally lose his patience and snap. He might be gentle and hate violence but as he said before, he does eventually run out of patience. He's not violent by any means but he does become very cold and logical when he gets angry, which is something that did surprise me even as his writer. While I did not expect him to be violent when mad, I did expect him to be more emotional and a bit less rational, but I suppose you learn something new every day.**

**Lastly, in the previous chapter, I mentioned that Ren will have a total of four love interests and asked if you guys could guess who the other two remaining love interests would be and a reader (I don't know if you want me to name you or not, so I'll just address you as a reader for now) guessed that it would be Hibari and Mukuro and while it was a good guess, I'm sorry to say that you did only get one of them right. Mukuro is going to be a potential love interest for Ren, though I'm sorry to say that Hibari will not. Mainly because unless you guys want one of those relationships where the main character literally hates almost everything about their potential partner, I don't see those two spending a good amount of time together.**

**Or any time together at all at that point, if they can avoid it.**

**At any rate, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I hope you continue to enjoy what I have planned for Ren!**

**~ Xay**


	6. Chapter 6

Ren could not help but feel as though someone was watching him.

Green eyes narrowed slightly as his gaze drifted towards the watch he wore on his wrist before a soft sigh left the boy as he patiently waited for Tsuna to come outside. While he had initially been relieved that morning practice for the archery team had been put on hold for the time being, there was a certain amount of stress that came with walking with Tsuna that was starting to make him miss the early morning practices as twisted as that might have sounded. While Ren did adore Tsuna a little more than what might have been considered healthy for someone to adore their friends, there was no denying that his friend had a talent for getting himself into all kinds of trouble.

"Ah, Ren! You don't have to wait outside for me all of the time! You can come in! Mom would be so mad if she knew that you were out here waiting for me all of the time! Have you even had anything to eat?" Ren could not help but smile at his friend's fussing as he simply waved it off with a soft laugh, his smile growing as he saw Tsuna's pout only growing upon hearing his laughter.

"I do not want to intrude, Tsuna. Your mom has enough on her plate as it is without me adding to her problems. Besides, I was not out here for that long. Maybe only about five minutes? And yes, I did eat something. You of all people know how strict my mother is about eating proper meals and all of that. She would not allow me to step out of the house without eating at least an apple or something." The only exception was if he happened to feel sick or if she knew that he was going over to Tsuna's house.

Nana Sawada was just as strict at ensuring that Ren ate something as his mother was.

"If you're sure. I just don't want a repeat of what happened the other day. You looked like you were going to pass out by the end of the day. At any rate, we should probably get going to school-" Tsuna was immediately cut off by a very familiar voice as Haru popped out of seemingly nowhere before running towards the two of them with a big bento held tightly in her hands. Ren watched in something akin to amusement as the girl ran forward before falling in front of the two of them, looking up before grinning with a bloody nose as she helped herself up. Ren immediately sighed as his hand went to rub at his head before he rummaged through his bag, pulling out a small handtowel and offering it to the grinning girl and sighing once again as his offer went ignored.

She was too focused on Tsuna to pay him any mind, it seemed.

Ren listened as she spoke to Tsuna before snorting quietly as she introduced herself as the person that Tsuna promised he was going to marry one day, shoulders shaking from the force of his silent laughter as he gleefully ignored the dirty look his friend gifted him with. Ren listened as she told Tsuna that she made him a bento before also stating that she had been up for the past two nights making the lunch for him, a fact that had Ren gently nudging his friend forward once he composed himself.

"Come now Tsuna, she went through all of that trouble to make such a wonderful lunch for you. Surely you cannot turn such a thing down." He ignored the look that Tsuna gave him in return, watching as the boy gently took the lunch from Haru before Kyoko managed to show up right as he accepted the lunch.

That girl had the absolute worst timing in the world, Ren was sure of it.

He watched as Tsuna immediately began freaking out at the prospect of Kyoko seeing him with another girl, the black-haired archer inwardly wishing he had some sort of snack so he could properly enjoy the events that were unfolding before him for all of a moment before a mixture of guilt and pity finally prompted him to act and help Tsuna. His mind raced as he tried to come up with some sort of explanation to help save Tsuna from a huge misunderstanding only for Kyoko to speak up and beat him to the punch.

"You two sure are close friends. It almost reminds me of you and Honda-kun's friendship, Tsuna." Those words while innocent were enough to shut Ren up completely as he stared at the girl in complete shock before turning his gaze to a stunned Tsuna, who seemed just as lost as he was before Ren's gaze slowly turned back to the painfully oblivious girl.

He was starting to wonder if perhaps she had hit her head at some point during her childhood.

It certainly would explain a lot.

* * *

A sigh escaped the archer as he stared up at the sky watching as the clouds danced through the endless blue at their own leisurely pace before the loud bickering between Yamamoto and Gokudera managed to ruin the peace not even a moment later. It was with a sigh that Ren tore his gaze away from the sky, brow lifting quietly in question as his gaze met Tsuna's before tilting his head towards the two boys in question. Gokudera had apparently gotten pissed off that Yamamoto had dared to yawn in front of Tsuna without his permission first and was threatening to blow him up because of it.

Okay, this was getting ridiculous at this point.

"Would you knock it off? Gokudera stop threatening to blow people up every time someone so much as blinks in Tsuna's direction. It's getting bothersome." Two different shades of green clashed in a battle of wills as the white-haired bomber immediately scowled at him, fury turned towards Ren this time as the sticks of dynamite lit themselves only for Tsuna to tell him to stop. It was then that Ren simply sighed before leaning back against the chain-link fence in an attempt to make himself comfortable only for that green gaze to turn as Yamamoto's arm wrapped around his shoulders with that grin that he was slowly becoming used to. Ren listened with a bored expression on his face as he stated that Gokudera didn't need to be on their cases all of the time before simply shrugging as he made himself more comfortable by leaning against Yamamoto instead of the fence, choosing to keep silent when Gokudera compared them to corns at the bottom of Tsuna's feet.

He would make sure Gokudera got an arrow in his ass for that comment later, his dislike of violence be damned.

He listened as Gokudera sat down before huffing that he was bored and stating that he wished something interesting would happen only for Reborn to appear. Upon hearing Tsuna's cry of pain, a green eye lazily opened only to find that Reborn was sticking him with the sharp end of some sort of chestnut costume only to reveal that Bianchi had made the costume and that anyone who got pricked by the spikes would pass out in thirty seconds.

It was then that Tsuna passed out.

Ren's gaze immediately shot open as he moved to Tsuna's side with a concerned look on his face, watching as Gokudera attempted to shake him awake to no avail. They were told that Tsuna was going to wake up in exactly ten minutes and that Reborn just so happened to have a nice place for Tsuna to rest in mind, something that immediately had warning bells ringing in Ren's mind the moment he heard the child's seemingly innocent remark.

He knew that something bad was going to happen.

Ren watched as Gokudera and Yamamoto both lifted Tsuna before following after the boys with a sigh as Reborn guided them to what turned out to be the teacher's reception room, green eyes immediately narrowing in suspicion as the boys entered the room. For a moment he hesitated, the overwhelming urge to get them the hell out of that room overcoming the archer for the longest of moments before with a sigh, he resigned himself to his fate as he entered the room before gravitating towards the desk, sitting down on the wooden surface as his gaze immediately was drawn outside. Ren tried his best to focus on anything he could at that moment to try and calm the lingering anxiety that welled up deep within him as he heard the boys talk about how nice the room was and as Reborn stated that they were going to claim this room for Tsuna's family his eyes narrowed.

There was something the demonic baby wasn't sharing with them.

His suspicions were confirmed a minute later when none other than the Disciplinary Committee entered the room while stating that the four of them were trespassing and for a moment, all Ren could do was simply stare at the group before he slowly looked over his shoulder, green gaze hard as he fixed the innocently smiling baby a completely unimpressed look that hardened the moment that the idiots targeted Tsuna and as they kicked the couch, he immediately rose from the desk only to fall back the moment that Gokudera took action while Yamamoto backed him up. It was then that Ren moved to tend to Tsuna, a small smirk on his face the entire time as he did so.

While the Disciplinary Committee was known as the so-called peacekeepers of Namimori, Ren saw them for what they truly were and as such, had no love for them in his heart. It was true that they did manage to keep the peace just as it was true that the whole lot of them were nothing more than a group of thugs and bullies who used violence and intimidation to crush any people who might challenge their authority in any way rather than trying to use diplomacy and intelligence to solve their problems.

Therefore, it brought Ren no small amount of pleasure to watch as both Gokudera and Yamamoto wiped the floor with those sorry excuses of men.

Then Hibari Kyoya happened to make an appearance a moment later and he couldn't help but curse whatever deity of fate that had cursed Namimori with the presence of the person he had come to refer to as Demon number two.

If there was one person Ren could not stand in this world, it was Hibari Kyoya and as he watched Gokudera approach the boy, he couldn't help but curse softly under his breath as Gokudera told him that they had claimed the reception room for Tsuna's family, eyes narrowing as he watched Kyoya break the cup that Reborn had given to Gokudera. Kyoya then stated that he hated weak bottom feeders who banned together before also stating that when he saw them, he wanted to devour them.

Then he sent Gokudera flying back into one of the chairs, effectively knocking the bomber unconscious and as Yamamoto got angry, Ren sighed before standing up, knowing there was absolutely no way he could avoid getting involved here. He knew he did not stand a chance against Hibari without his bow and arrows, even with the small amount of martial arts his father had bothered to teach him.

Even so, he wouldn't allow the demon to hurt Tsuna.

He watched as Hibari charged at Yamamoto only for him to dodge every strike that came his way before Hibari commented that while he had good moves, it was clear that he was favoring his right hand. When Hibari kicked Yamamoto in the stomach and sent him flying back Ren moved to catch the boy, shouldering the impact as he winced slightly before gently setting the unconscious boy down, sighing as his gaze lifted to meet those grays.

"I am going to go ahead and guess that you're not content with yourself even though you managed to knock both of them unconscious."

He spoke with a tone so casual, as though he was talking about something as normal as the weather while he eyed the boy critically, green eyes watching him just in case he decided to charge him.

"Surely this dispute of ours can be settled with something other than our fists? This was some sort of misunderstanding and Gokudera over there was a bit too short-tempered to-" He immediately ducked the minute he saw something flying at his face, wincing as the metal of the tonfa sailed above him.

If he had been a second slower, that damned tonfa would have hit him directly in the face.

His relief was short-lived as he quickly jumped out of the way of Hibari's leg as it came crashing down in an attempt to kick him before standing up with an annoyed expression on his face.

"You could have said that you have no interest in talking things out you know. That would have been the polite thing to do." Green eyes narrowed at the smirking prefect who simply tilted his head to the side before Ren's face grew pale as that smirk became a full sadistic smile.

Oh god he was going to die, wasn't he?

"Nice reflexes. I know you're on the archery team but I didn't expect much from you. Show me more."

Damn it all!

* * *

He didn't know how much longer he could manage to keep avoiding Hibari's attacks.

While he had been lucky for the most part thus far, having somehow managed to avoid the more serious hits that he knew would leave him knocked out cold on the floor he also knew that it was only a matter of time before the man had him cornered like a dog. It was clear that he was growing more and more irritated at the fact that Ren was not going to simply allow himself to get hit and yet, he was hoping to be enough of a distraction to buy Gokudera and Yamamoto time to wake up from their state and help him out.

Never in a million years did he expect that Tsuna was capable of waking before the two of them.

"R-Ren?!" The moment he heard his name coming from his friend, he stumbled in shock which gave Kyoya all of the opportunity he needed to slam his tonfa into his stomach, something that left Ren gasping for breath as he slammed into a wall, wincing as the cool metal of the tonfa pressed against his throat. Ren winced as his hand lifted to settle on his stomach before his gaze turned to a panicked Tsuna as he looked over Yamamoto and Gokudera and as Tsuna's gaze met his own, he watched the boy immediately begin to panic even more before Hibari's words stole their attention.

"So there was one more."

It was not a question so much as it was a statement before the sadistic prefect sighed, gray eyes turning to meet Ren's gaze.

"As for you, you lasted longer than I thought. Almost impressive. Despite that, our time has come to an end. Do you mind laying down?" Ren's mouth opened immediately to tell him just where it was he could shove that question before he felt the harsh pain of the metal slamming down onto the top of his head and before he knew it, everything had gone black.

Asshole.

By the time he had managed to come to, he found himself with a painfully throbbing head completely alone inside of the nurse's office with absolutely no idea how in the hell he had gotten there in the first place. Confusion eventually gave way to disbelief before ultimately deciding that Hibari had simply thrown him out of the room after having knocked him unconscious and that some kind-hearted student must have found him and brought him to the nurse's office, even if the woman was still nowhere to be found.

Still, he wondered what happened to Tsuna, Gokudera and Yamamoto.

He made his way through the hallways, eyes narrowing as he saw that the sun was already setting. Assuming that they had to be at the school's entrance by now (if they were still alive that is,) he ran through the hallways, making his way to the entrance only to sigh in relief the moment he saw Yamamoto and Tsuna.

"There you guys are! I woke up in the nurse's office for some reason and when I didn't see you three there I assumed the worst. Are you two okay? Where's Gokudera?"

"Ah. Bianchi-san came to pick up Reborn and Gokudera ran home to avoid her before his Bianchi-phobia could act up and knock him out again but we're fine. We managed to get away after Reborn blew up the reception room. What about you? I didn't manage to save you and I was scared that Hibari-san was going to hurt you even worse." Ren's expression turned from one of concern into one of complete disbelief as he heard Tsuna's explanation, anxiety immediately building up within his stomach as he laughed nervously.

"H-He must have thrown me into the hallway or something after you guys escaped. Because I woke up in the nurse's office. I wonder who it was that helped me, I owe them my thanks." He mused softly before turning his gaze back to Tsuna and Yamamoto with a small smile.

"Nevertheless, I'm glad that all of you are alright. I truly was worried about you guys as silly as it might sound."

He knew they were capable of taking care of themselves.

Even so, he couldn't help but worry.

He was shaken from his thoughts as Yamamoto bid them farewell before turning to begin walking to his house, though the carefree boy paused after a few steps.

"Oh! Ren before I forget! Tomorrow morning is the match against Yumei Middle School right? I wanted to be sure that I got it right because I'm going to be there cheering you on!" Ren's gaze turned into one of complete shock for a few moments before he gifted the eager boy an almost shy smile.

"You're correct. Tomorrow morning is the match between Namimori and Yumei. But please do not feel obligated to come. My parents will both be there so please do not feel as though you have to come if it is not something that interests you, Yamamoto."

"Don't be silly Ren! We're friends now and I'm going to do my best to support you! I'll be there, I promise!"

The warmth and sincerity present in those eyes made Ren's gaze soften as he gifted his newest friend a small smile before he simply laughed.

"If you say so. I look forward to seeing you then Yamamoto."

He watched as the other boy walked away before turning his attention to Tsuna, surprised to see another unreadable expression on his face and as they began walking home together, there was almost an uncomfortable tension in the air between the two of them. It was clear that something was bothering Tsuna, though it was just as clear that the boy was too nervous to properly explain just what it was, something that made Ren sigh softly before he decided to take pity on the boy next to him.

"Is there something that is bothering you Tsuna? You are being unusually quiet today."

That seemed to shake the boy out of the depths of his mind, those brown eyes looking up to meet Ren's calm gaze with a tentative look in his eyes. It remained quiet for the longest of moments before the brunette seemed unable to take the tension any longer as he blurted out the one thing that must have been bothering him the entire walk home.

"Ren, do you not want me at your archery thing tomorrow? I mean you didn't even tell me that it was tomorrow or anything! I would have never known if Yamamoto didn't say anything!"

For the first time in a very long time, Ren was stunned into silence.

The silence continued for the longest of moments as Ren simply gaped at his friend, truly surprised to hear that something like that bothered Tsuna when in the past he couldn't have been less interested in his archery. His mind began to race as he stumbled to try coming up with some sort of explanation to his friend before a sigh left him, deciding that honesty was probably his best policy, at least when it came to Tsuna.

"I did not say anything about the match because I thought archery was something that didn't hold your interest. You have never asked me about it before and you never asked about any of my other matches so I assumed it was something that did not interest you. You are more than welcome to come if you would like to Tsuna. I did not mean to exclude you."

"I'll be there."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. You've always been there for me, the least I can do is cheer you on when you have an archery match. I promise I'll be there and I'll cheer louder for you than anyone else. So do your best, alright?" The look of determination in those eyes and the sincerity in Tsuna's voice simply made Ren smile, the older boy fighting down the feelings that were trying their hardest to emerge from within his heart.

"If you are going to be there, then I'll make sure to hit every single target in the dead center for you."

"E-Eh? You shouldn't make promises you can't keep! Besides, don't say things like that! You're starting to sound like that crazy girl Haru!"

"Maybe I am just as crazy about you as she is? Have you ever considered that Tsuna?" He couldn't help but grin as the boy turned a bright red, ignoring the way the boy stuttered in response to his abrupt confession as those wide eyes turned to him.

"Y-You- ugh! S-Stop messing w-with me l-like that! You shouldn't joke like that! It's weird when you say those kinds of things to me!" The smile that was present immediately faltered upon hearing Tsuna's words before becoming strained as he forced a laugh, hand rubbing at the back of his neck as he tried to hide the way that Tsuna's words had stung him.

"Yes, I suppose that you are right. It is not normal for people to joke around with their friends like that. Oh look, we are already here." He forced another smile as they arrived at Tsuna's house, rejecting Tsuna's offer to come inside and hang out for a while as he turned to walk to his own house after a quick farewell to Tsuna and as the silence washed over him, he would nurse his stung pride as he came to a conclusion.

He needed to kill whatever feelings he had for Tsuna beyond friendship and focus strictly on his schoolwork, his archery, and the whole mafia thing.

He would be setting himself up for the worst kind of pain if he didn't.

* * *

**Chapter Six is finally done.**

**The next chapter will finally hold the archery match as well as going a bit more into depth about who Ren's parents are and what they do for a living. There will also be a bit more of a shift in the dynamic between Ren, Tsuna, and Yamamoto as you guys might have begun seeing in this chapter and the last. To be blunt, Ren is going to be getting a bit closer to Yamamoto over these next couple of chapters. It is still completely undecided who he will end up with of course, but he and Yamamoto are going to be getting closer and closer.**

**On another note, I just wanted to take the time to thank all of you guys from the bottom of my heart for reading and following this story. It means the world to me that fifty of you have taken the time to follow my story. I know it's far from the best on this site, but thank you guys so much for having the patience to stick with it as I slowly come to terms with the direction this story is heading in. Every follow, favorite and review that you guys gift to me truly does mean the world to me, so thank you guys again!**

**~Xayden**


	7. Chapter 7

A sigh left the black-haired boy as his green gaze stared deeply into the untouched bowl of ochazuke that his father had taken the time to make for him, pleading that he at least eat something before leaving for his archery match. While he knew that his father had only the best of intentions in wanting to make sure that he was not competing on an empty stomach, he also knew that his anxiety would not allow him to consume anything without losing it before the end of the day. It was with an apologetic smile that he emptied the contents of his bowl into the trash before setting the bowl in the sink as he hurried out of the door, intent on immediately heading to the school to get ready.

Hopefully, his mother would not be too angry with him for wasting food.

Kaori Honda had grown up in a single-parent household as a bastard, born as a result of an affair between her Japanese mother and a married Frenchman that had come to Japan on a business retreat. Due to having grown up poor she had become very frugal as a result, choosing to not waste anything if it could be avoided.

That included food.

He understood his mother's point of view, agreeing that food should not be wasted when there were so many children out in the world that went hungry each and every night. However, Ren was known to have a very weak stomach that made it difficult for him to stomach anything when he was stressed out. Take that and pair it with an overbearing father who liked to dote on him every single moment of every single day, a father that did not like being refused and who insisted on making breakfast for him each and every morning meant that he often found himself in a bad position.

It was either he ate and made himself sick, or waste food and make his mother angry.

He just hoped that he was capable of doing well enough in the competition to displace any irritation his mother might feel towards him for wasting the food his father had made for him. If that failed, then he was simply going to have to suffer the consequences of his actions and hope that his mother might have some mercy in whatever punishment she decided to give him.

it's not like his father would let her punish him too severely, right?

* * *

Tsuna found himself creeping about the Sawada household as quietly as possible, trying his best to avoid waking anyone up and ruining his plans. Ren was to be competing in an archery tournament in a little over an hour and he had every intention of being the only person in the Sawada household to support him. While he knew it was a bit selfish of him to exclude the other members of his household, he also knew how much this meant to Ren and didn't want to risk Reborn doing something to mess with him during the match at Ren's expense.

Ren didn't deserve that.

Tsuna had managed to make it all the way down the stairs only to hear a soft humming in the air that immediately made his stomach drop. Swallowing roughly, he made his way over to the kitchen and peered inside, his heart stopping when he saw that everyone in the house was already dressed and in the process of finishing their breakfast.

"So you've finally chosen to join us stupid Tsuna." Reborn's beady eyes peered out at him from beneath his fedora, shining in the sort of twisted amusement that made Tsuna's blood run cold as the baby simply smirked while casually stroking the head of the chameleon that had crawled down to rest on his shoulder.

"We were wondering when you would come to join us. Ren's match will be starting soon and it wouldn't do for a future boss to miss out on something so important." Those beady eyes narrowed slightly as Reborn's smirk grew, watching as Tsuna began to panic at the revelation that he had known about Ren's match all along. In hindsight, he really should have known better than to try and withhold information from Reborn, who always had a way of finding things out.

Especially if the information related to someone as well-liked among the general population as Ren was.

"It will be good for Ren's confidence if we all go to support him. Besides, mama has been talking about finally getting to see Ren in action again all morning. You wouldn't want to crush her hopes by not letting us come, would you?" Tsuna's gaze darted to his mother in response, flinching as he saw just how happy the woman looked as she cleaned up the dishes, wincing as she finally turned to face him with that bright smile.

"I was really happy to hear that Ren is still in archery! I hadn't heard anything about it in so long that I was almost afraid that he had given up on it. I know it's silly since both Kaori and Mitsuru are so athletic but I was worried since he is so talented. I'm so glad that we'll get to see him today!" Any protests that Tsuna had been about to give the demonic baby immediately died on his tongue the moment he saw the bright look on his mother's face and he swallowed roughly before gifting the baby a defeated look.

"Fine, you win this one. But please don't do anything to interfere with Ren. This means a lot to him, don't mess it up for him." The way the baby's eyes shone as a response along with that growing smirk only served to make his anxiety even more unbearable as the baby chose to let him panic for a few moments before finally responding as he tilted his fedora at him.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

There were times where Tsuna was convinced that whatever higher being might have existed took great pleasure in watching him suffer. While he knew that Ren's parents were going to be at the school to watch Ren's match, he also had the smallest bit of hope that the two of them might be alone so they could entertain his mother along with the other members of his household so he would be free to find Ren and wish him luck before the start of his match.

His hopes were immediately crushed moments later when the entire Sawada household finally arrived at the school only for Tsuna to find none other than Yamamoto striking up a conversation with both of Ren's parents. Imagine his surprise when even the normally overprotective Mitsuru had managed to find something charming in Yamamoto, to the point where he was willing to overlook Yamamoto's obvious interest in Ren so the two of them were capable of having a civil conversation about something.

He was starting to wonder if he was in some sort of a bad dream.

"Hey, it's Tsuna! Haha, I didn't know that you were going to be here today!" Tsuna could only blink as the other man called attention to him, looking at him with a bewildered look before he felt two other stares burning into him and after inwardly panicking for a few moments he managed to force a smile across his lips as he approached his best friend's parents, intent on striking up a conversation with the two adults that he had known since he had been a toddler only to swallow roughly when his gaze met the stern gaze of Kaori Honda.

"My, my. It's been quite a while Tsuna. You hardly stop by our house these days. Ren told me that he walks with you to school every morning but I was starting to wonder if he was hiding something from me. I was beginning to worry that something happened between you and him." The woman's green eyes narrowed slightly as her smile became almost cold and he could practically feel her observing him as though he was some sort of insect for her to study.

He honestly did not know how Ren turned out the way he did when he had such a terrifying mother to come home to each and every single night.

Things remained tense between the two of them for the longest of moments as Tsuna tried his best to try and come up with some sort of explanation that would placate the terrifying woman, not noticing the slight curve to the woman's lips before a soft laugh finally captured his attention. An immediate sense of relief washed over him as he caught the fond look of amusement in those bright eyes as the woman finally spoke again.

"You can relax Tsuna. I know that you would never do anything to hurt or upset my son. You two have been friends since you were children, I know a bond like that is not do easily broken. You even seem to be a good influence on Ren from what Yamamoto-kun was telling me. It's nice to know that Ren is getting more social and that he is making friends to bring him out of that shell of his." She mused as she fixed the grinning Yamamoto with another small smile before sighing.

"Honestly, I was so worried that Ren was going to end up alone with only you as a friend Tsuna. He's such a sweet boy but he has a hard time opening up and I always thought he was a bit too clingy towards you. I mean, it would have been fine if you two were capable of falling in love with each other and ended up marrying each other-" Those words were enough to make Tsuna choke as his face immediately heated up, unable to believe that the woman could bring up something like that so casually.

"-But I've heard that you're interested in a girl named Kyoko which is to be expected since you're at that age where boys trip over themselves to impress whichever pretty girl manages to capture their attention. It really is too bad though, to be honest, I secretly hoped that Ren would marry you. You two would have been so cute. But I suppose I'll have to be content with the knowledge that at least Ren has more friends then he did before. Perhaps one day he'll charm a nice boy or girl enough that they will want to settle down with him. At least, a mother can hope." Tsuna's cheeks darkened in a furious blush as he heard the woman bring up his crush on Kyoko, inwardly panicking as he looked around in fear that the girl might have chosen to attend the archery match.

Once he was sure his not-so-secret crush was still a secret he turned his attention back to Kaori, brow furrowing before he opened his mouth to respond to her words only to frown as Yamamoto immediately cut in.

"Ah, Ren is more popular than you might think. He's very charming and cute, even if he is shy. I know that some people have their eye on him. I don't think you'll have to worry about Ren and even if he doesn't find a girl or boy to settle down with-"

"-We will always be here for him." Tsuna interrupted the other boy, cutting in before he could finish his statement and as he felt that surprised gaze turning to him he simply gifted him a smile while doing his best to avoid meeting Yamamoto's eyes. He knew what Yamamoto had been about to say to Kaori and some dark part of him that was consumed by jealousy did not want to give him the chance to endear himself to Ren's mother.

He did not like the idea of Ren and Yamamoto together.

There was some part of him that wished that he had never known that Yamamoto had been there at the park all those years ago because even though Ren had chosen him in the end, he knew that things could have easily turned out the other way. Perhaps it was the idea that fate seemed to be giving Yamamoto a second chance to steal his best friend away from him or maybe, it was the fact that there was a part of him that was simply taking out his frustrations on Yamamoto because deep down he knew that one day, Ren was going to find someone more precious to him than Tsuna was and when that day happened, he knew that Ren was going to leave his side for that person.

He didn't like thinking about that.

Even if it was selfish to think like that, Ren had been a constant source of security and comfort for as long as he could remember and if he was sure of one thing, it was the fact that he was not willing to give him up for anything. It was something that made his feelings for Kyoko much more complicated in the grand scheme of things. There was something about Kyoko that made his heart race, something about her that seemed to embody all of the things that Tsuna could have ever wanted in a person.

Then there was Ren.

Ren made him feel secure and confident in himself, something that no one else had ever been capable of doing. He was the first to make him feel as though he never had to be anything other than himself and never once scorned him or laughed at his dreams. He had been the one to always protect him from those who sought to bully him and had been the one constant source of comfort that he had in the duration of his childhood.

He was also so kind and patient, so gentle with him that he often felt his heart race in almost the same way it did whenever he thought about Kyoko. There was also the fact that the idea of Ren leaving him behind or even the idea that he might choose someone over him made him feel as though he was going to be physically sick.

That being said, there was also something about Kyoko that made him unable to completely focus on Ren.

_'I am such a horrible person. Ren really would be better off without me.'_ Tsuna couldn't help but berate himself as he sulked at the realization that he really was a selfish person before he would be freed from them a moment later as an announcement was made stating that they were now allowed to enter the fields where the archery targets had been set up for the competition. Once they arrived they were all instructed to choose a seat amongst the chairs that had been provided for them and once everyone had finally taken their seats, the teams were finally allowed to come out.

It was finally time for the match to begin.

* * *

A sigh left the black-haired boy's lips as he felt his anxiety beginning to flare up once again as he stood out on the field with the rest of the archers as the referee for the match went over the rules. Each archer was to be pit against an archer from Yumei middle with each of them shooting three different targets with each target being set at different distances from the space they were allowed to shoot from. Their scores would be collected once they finished and added to the rest of the team's score with the group's total score deciding which team would be crowned the victor.

The moment the referee was done reciting the rules to the archers they were allowed to break off, each team being gifted a few moments to decide the order in which the archers were to compete amongst themselves before reporting back to the referee so he could write down the order and announce it to the crowd and as they gathered around each other, Ren's attention was immediately captured by his captain as his hand rested firmly on his shoulder, lightly squeezing it before he began speaking.

"The order is going to be as follows. Kiragi will be the first one to go since he is the newest amongst us. Suzuki will go after him followed by Kain. Tanaka and Ruki will go after Kain and then I will go after Ruki. Since Ren is our secret weapon I'm going to have him go last. Hopefully, we will do good enough that he won't need to work too hard, but even if we don't, I know Ren will deliver the win for us." Ren blinked for a moment before the words that his captain said finally registered in his mind and immediately a sigh left him.

"I will try my best but perhaps you could ease up on the secret weapon talk. My aim is not perfect, no matter how much you all might wish it was. Please do your best to ease the pressure on me. I would hate to be the reason we end up losing if it all comes down to how I do." This was going to be the first time Yamamoto and Tsuna were going to be watching him and despite his earlier promise to Tsuna about hitting each target in the center for him, he was nervous.

He did not want to make a fool of himself in front of Tsuna if he could help it.

"You'll do fine Ren. I'm sorry if it seems like we're putting everything off on you, but I know you're one of the best ones here. If anyone can help us win this, it's you." His shoulder was gifted another squeeze before the captain went off to speak with the referee to inform him of the order they had chosen to go in, Ren's mind wandering off as his gaze fell upon the people that were watching the competition, eyes widening a moment later when he saw that Tsuna and Yamamoto had not come alone.

Tsuna had managed to somehow bring the entire Sawada household along with him to his match. While he knew that he should feel grateful that everyone had taken the time out of their day to come and watch him, he couldn't help but feel concerned with how the tournament was going to turn out because surely Reborn had decided to tag along with everyone else and wherever that demon went, trouble followed closely behind him.

This was going to end badly for him, wasn't it?

* * *

He really hated being right sometimes.

Ren's anxiety was at an all-time high as he saw his teammates go against Yumei Private Middle in their respective matches only to end up losing with the only winners being Tanaka, Suzuki, and his captain. After doing some quick calculations in his head the moment the person he was to go up against finished releasing his last arrow, he realized that he would have to hit two out of his three targets in the dead center just to tie with Yumei and the third would have had to score at least a seven to win. While he had done so countless times in the past during practice, he knew that it was completely different when it came to an actual competition.

Especially when he had people here that came to support him.

"Ren, I wish I could take back what I said earlier about you being our secret weapon but it seems like we really are relying on you. I know that you can do it, you've done it so many times before in practice. Just relax and do what you do best." Ren inhaled deeply as he listened to his captain's words, green eyes narrowed as they focused on the targets in front of him, trying his best to calm his nerves as he bit down on his bottom lip before stepping forward and drawing his bow.

For a moment everything went completely silent as Ren's gaze narrowed before the boy reached into his quiver and pulled out a single arrow, carefully nocking it before drawing back. A shuddering breath left him as he felt the stares of everyone weighing down on him, the boy doing his best to calm himself down as he focused on the target before releasing his arrow once he was confident that he could make the shot. As the arrow soared through the air towards the target he cursed silently to himself the moment he felt the recoil from the bow immediately realizing that his posture must have been off, eyes closing as a resounding thunk hit the air once the arrow embedded itself into the target.

He had been careless with his posture because it had been the closest target and as a result, his arrow had hit the outer red ring, meaning that he had only scored seven points for his team.

The next two targets needed to hit the center if he wanted to win.

Swallowing roughly, he moved to the next target before drawing another arrow out of his quiver. After nocking his arrow once again this time he made sure to keep his back completely straight as he drew the bowstring back. He also made sure that he used his back and shoulder muscles rather than the muscles in his arms to improve his form, inhaling softly before releasing the arrow once again, sighing in relief when he did not feel the drastic recoil that he had felt the first time, green eyes closing as his hand lifted to rest on his racing heart as the arrow soared directly into the center of the target.

He had just won Namimori ten points.

He just needed another ten to go.

The moment that he reached the final target, a sigh left him as he could feel the anxiety creeping up once again as he drew his bow and nocked the final arrow. He could hear the murmurs amongst both his own team as well as the rival team as they discussed what the chances were that he could manage to get another target in the center after having missed the first target and a soft sigh left him as he straightened his back out, eyes narrowing as he took aim once again. A slow breath left him as he released the arrow, watching as the arrow flew through the air before hitting the dead center of the target once again.

He had done it.

A sigh of complete relief left him as the referee jotted down his score, body slumping over as he lowered his bow, a relieved smile on his face despite the slight disappointment he felt towards himself over his careless posturing with the first target. Even so, as he approached his teammates, it became clear that he was the only person who seemed to be focusing on his mistake and as his captain threw his arm around his shoulder, it was all he could do to force a smile as he tried his hardest not to flinch away from the physical contact, not wanting to offend his captain if he could avoid it.

"You did it, Ren! Though I have to say, for someone who won this thing for us you don't look too happy. What's wrong?"

"I was careless with that first target. That should have been the one that I hit effortlessly but because I was careless, I didn't hit the target like I know I could have." He frowned as a hand lifted to run through his hair, ruffling it in frustration before sighing softly.

"I can't help but feel a bit ridiculous. I didn't take this as seriously as I should have even though I had people that took the time to come and see me for the first time. I feel as though I must have disappointed them."

The sound of laughter that followed his words immediately made him look up with a displeased frown only to yelp a moment later when the older boy managed to draw him into a headlock. As he felt the burn of the other's boy fist digging into his hair he immediately tried to free himself only to find that his captain was too strong.

"You are way too hard on yourself. I know that you're a perfectionist and everything but you need to realize that nobody can be perfect all of the time, not even you. You won the match for us, that should be enough to make anyone proud and even if you didn't get a perfect score, who cares? If anyone gives you any trouble you tell them to come and talk to me, I'll put them in their place no matter who they are. So relax and enjoy the attention you're going to get from everyone."

Ren's mouth opened to protest the older boy's words only to be interrupted before he could even get a word out. As it turned out, Ren's score had managed to grant Namimori a very close victory against Yumei private middle, even though Ren's score had been significantly higher than his opponent's. In the end, because a good portion of his team had lost their respective matches against Yumei the winning matches were enough to barely pull them ahead of Yumei's.

They had won by a total of two points.

The knowledge was enough to leave a bitter taste in his mouth even as he received praise from his teammates. Ren forced a smile the entire time the praise filled the locker room and yet, the moment that the rest of the team cleared out a sigh left him as his head fell back against the lockers as the words that his captain told him echoed in the back of his mind. Perhaps it was silly to sulk over the fact that he had gotten a lower score than he had originally wanted, but there was a part of him that truly was disappointed in himself.

Maybe his captain was right.

The boy remained sitting on the bench, lost in thoughts to the point when he did not realize just how long he was taking nor did he hear the footsteps that approached the locker room even as they stopped directly in front of him, his body jolting the moment he heard a very familiar voice interrupt the silence.

"Ren? Are you okay? You were taking a long time and everyone was getting kind of worried so I volunteered to come and get you. I'm glad I did because you don't look too happy." Ren's body immediately looked up in shock, the boy flinching as his head slammed back into the locker as a result and as pain shot through his head, he hissed softly as his hands lifted to try and ease his pain. After a moment of tenderly rubbing his throbbing head, those greens slowly opened to meet Yamamoto's worried browns.

"Ah, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! I thought you heard me coming!"

"It's fine Yamamoto. It's my fault for not paying attention to my surroundings. As for my being okay, I am fine. I just did not perform as well as I would have liked considering you, Tsuna, and everyone else came by today to support me. I wish I could have done better but it was my own fault for being careless." He mused as his gaze fell to the floor of the locker room while trying to fight down the rising discontent he felt for himself.

"You know, I'd like to tell you that I think you did wonderful out there but I'm sure that's not what you want to hear because I'm the same as you, so I kind of know how you feel." To hear that Yamamoto related to him was something that honestly surprised him, eyes widening as they lifted to meet Yamamoto's warm gaze.

"I know what it's like to feel frustrated with yourself for not doing as well as you would have liked but beating yourself up isn't the best way to deal with it. All you can do is keep practicing until you are finally content with how you do. I could already tell from just watching this one match that you are talented Ren. Just keep working at it and you'll become the best in no time, I'm sure of it." The smile that Yamamoto gave him was infectious, for it was not even seconds later that he felt a smile spread across his own lips as his head lowered to try and hide the gesture.

"Thank you, Yamamoto. I do feel better after hearing that."

"I'm glad. If it helps, everyone did seem to be really impressed with how you did. I don't think anyone but you noticed that anything was off. No one is disappointed in you or anything like that. As a matter of fact, everyone is waiting to congratulate you. So we should probably go to them before they send a search party after us." A sigh left Ren's lips as he finally rose from the bench making sure to grab his bag before gifting the other boy a warm smile.

"Yes, that is probably a good idea. I've inconvenienced everyone enough with my little pity party. I owe everyone an apology. Especially you. I'm sorry that you had to go out of your way to come and find me." He smiled apologetically only to blink when Yamamoto simply laughed before throwing an arm around his shoulders.

"You don't have to apologize to me, Ren. I'm just glad that you finally seem to trust me enough to let me in. You usually keep almost everyone at arm's length and it can be hard getting you to open up. It makes me happy to know that you'll let me be there for you and support you when you need it. Though, I kind of wish you would call me Takeshi. It kind of feels weird, calling you Ren while you call me Yamamoto." Ren simply blinked upon hearing those words, honestly stunned to hear that the boy not only felt that way but also that he wanted him to call him by his first name.

"I-I feel really shy all of a sudden." His face felt as though it was burning and as he heard Yamamoto's carefree laugh his face grew even hotter as he moved to free himself from his touch before scurrying over to the entrance of the locker room, looking back at the overly amused baseball player with an annoyed look at his face.

"I-I mean. Y-You shouldn't ask something like that so suddenly! It's a big step to use your given name! Are you-"

"Ren you're acting like I asked you out on a date or something. It's cute, but please call me by my given name. At least try, okay? It really would mean a lot to me." Ren swallowed roughly as his cheeks burned even hotter before sighing softly, green eyes meeting as he seemed to contemplate his options.

"I-I will try. I-If it means that much to you. I w-will try. Now let's go before they really do send that search party, alright?"

* * *

Tsuna was starting to wonder if something had happened to Ren.

He noticed immediately that his best friend had not looked too pleased with himself even though Namimori had won and as the older boy disappeared into the locker rooms before he had even had a chance to talk to him, he had promised himself that he would speak to him the moment that he came out. As the archers left the locker room, he had kept an eye out for Ren only to end up being unable to locate him amongst the crowd.

So he waited.

One by one the other archers and their families slowly began to leave until they were the only ones left and there was still no sign of Ren, something that made his concern for his friend only grow. It was a few moments later that Kaori finally asked for Yamamoto to go and retrieve Ren, something that made Tsuna immediately try to interject, insisting that he wanted to help find Ren as well only to be silenced by Yamamoto, who smiled warmly at him before speaking.

"Don't worry Tsuna. I'll be back with Ren before you know it. You can just stay here." Then the black-haired boy had taken off before he could get so much as a response in, something that honestly made Tsuna feel less than happy as his mind came up with various reasons as to why Yamamoto had wanted to go and find Ren on his own.

He didn't like a single one of those thoughts.

A sigh left him as the moments seemed to drag on before finally a very flushed Ren came scurrying over to him followed by a Yamamoto who looked a little too happy with himself, something that made Tsuna's eyes narrow slightly before he turned his attention to Ren who bowed in front of everyone.

"I am so sorry that I kept everyone waiting after all of you came to see me. Something came up and I had to take care of it. Thank you all for being so patient." He slowly rose before gifting everyone a smile that seemed to be a little too cheerful to be completely real. He watched with a growing frown as Ren interacted with everyone, knowing deep down that he was hiding something from everyone there.

Everyone except Yamamoto, who had not stopped smiling since he had returned with Ren.

When he felt the familiar pressure of something landing on his shoulder, his gaze turned to the side only to meet the beady gaze of his sadistic tutor.

"So you've noticed it too stupid Tsuna. I guess you're not completely hopeless after all." The baby smirked before turning his gaze to focus on the boy who was in the process of speaking with his parents.

"It's a good thing that you noticed because you are going to and speak with him and figure out what was bothering him. There must be a strong foundation of trust between the two of you because, in the world of the mafia, trust is important. How is the rest of your family supposed to trust you when your closest friend won't even open up to you?" Reborn's words were enough to make Tsuna's face lose all color as those eyes remained locked on Ren.

"First, I'm not going to be a mafia boss so stop saying that. Second, as much as I hate to admit it, you're right Reborn. Ren shouldn't be trying to hide things from me. We've known each other since we were small children and he always tells me that I shouldn't hide things from him yet, there are so many things he doesn't tell me." Tsuna swallowed roughly as he felt his confidence slowly begin to grow before nodding quickly to himself.

"I'm going to talk to him." Reborn simply smirked before jumping off of his shoulder as he began to make his way towards Ren, intent on speaking with him and clearing the air between the two of them and as Ren finally turned his attention to him, gifting him that same smile that was too cheerful to be real, his brow furrowed as his hand reached out to gently grab onto Ren's.

"Ren, can I talk to you alone for a minute? It's about something really important." His request was clearly enough to take Ren by surprise if the stunned look on the older boy's face was anything for him to go by and for a moment he was worried that Ren might actually decline his request only to sigh in relief a moment later when Ren simply smiled.

"Of course. I always have time for you Tsuna. Lead the way."

* * *

He managed to lead Ren to a place that was a good distance away from all of the others and once he was content that the two of them were in no danger of being overheard, he turned his attention to Ren who seemed to find the floor to be incredibly interesting for some reason and for a moment, Tsuna's brows simply rose before he finally spoke.

"Ren, what's wrong? I know you well enough to know when something is bothering you. Did something happen?" Ren's gaze remained locked on the floor for the longest of moments, something that made Tsuna's brow furrow as he waited patiently for Ren to speak.

"It's really silly. Nothing so serious that you should be worried about Tsuna. Yamamoto helped me sort things out and I promise you that I'll be back to normal in a few hours. Don't worry about me Tsuna. You have enough problems without me adding to them." The minute that those words left Ren's mouth, something within Tsuna snapped as he approached Ren quickly, grabbing onto the material of his shirt as those sepia eyes glared up at him.

"I don't understand why you keep hiding stuff from me! You and I have been together since we were kids. You're always telling me that I can come to you with my problems and that you'll always be here for me. You keep telling me that your feelings don't matter and all of this other stuff and I don't like it! I'm supposed to be your best friend, but I feel like you treat me the same way you treat everyone else! You need to let me in Ren!" That gaze softened as it met the surprised gaze of the taller boy before he shifted, loosening his grip on his shirt as he swallowed roughly before continuing to speak.

"You matter to me, Ren. Your feelings, your problems. Everything about you is important to me. I don't know if you feel the same way or if you simply see me as that little child who needs your protection but I don't like it when you hide things from me. Do you not trust me? Do you see me as a burden? Do you not want to be my friend anymore? What is it?" He needed to know just what it was that prevented Ren from opening up to him so he could fix it.

He didn't want to lose Ren.

"Tsuna." Tsuna's gaze lifted to meet Ren's again only to gasp when he was suddenly yanked forward into Ren's arms, panicking for a moment before relaxing into the tight hug that his friend gifted him with.

"First and foremost, I am sorry if you have ever felt as though I am intentionally shutting you out because I assure you that is not the case. I merely did not wish to add to your troubles by giving you my problems to worry about on top of your own. I trust you with my life Tsuna and you are the furthest thing from a burden that you could possibly be to me. You are a precious and kind-hearted boy and your place in my life is precious as well. You are my dear friend and my most treasured companion."

His chin rested on top of Tsuna's fluffy hair, eyes closing for a moment as he treasured being so close to his precious friend before smiling softly as he pulled away from him enough so he could meet Tsuna's gaze again.

"As for treating you like everyone else, that is where you are wrong. I am so attached to you that sometimes I feel as though you must be annoyed with my presence. I am not trying to shut you out, I am merely trying to give you some space so you do not feel suffocated by me. As for why I did not want to tell you what happened earlier, it truly is very silly. I was sulking because I did not do as well as I would have liked to do in my match and I was worried that I had disappointed everyone. That I had disappointed you after I promised to hit every target for you. It was embarrassing and both Yamamoto and my captain had to knock some sense in me."

Tsuna's jaw dropped slightly in disbelief as Ren admitted to having sulked about not getting the score he wanted, eyes widening as he saw just how embarrassed the older boy was to admit such a thing and yet, the minute that he stated he had been afraid that he had disappointed him of all people, that gaze softened once again.

"The truth of the matter is Tsuna, that to me you are very precious. It is true that I want to protect you as much as I possibly can, but not for the reasons you are thinking. You could never be a burden and there will never come a time where I will not want to be your friend. So please don't worry about that any longer. I'm sorry that I ever made you feel that way. If it will ease your fears, I will try opening up to you if that is what you believe will help. Just never question your place in my heart or your importance in my life again, alright?"

Tsuna's cheeks darkened the moment that Ren fixed him with that warm, gentle smile and for a moment he felt his heart skip a beat within his chest. To hear that he was truly that precious to Ren, meant more to him than he could ever possibly explain. As he stared up at his longtime companion, the realization that Ren was just as precious to him hit him all at once and his cheeks darkened even further as his heart raced beneath his skin.

To be so close to someone who cared so deeply about him was enough to make his heart begin to ache for him even more than it had done in the past and as he stared up into the green eyes that had never once judged him, that had never once turned away from him, he came to a realization.

Ren meant just as much to him.

The idea that Ren as just as precious to him as he was to Ren was enough to make Tsuna's gaze soften as a shy smile crossed his lips, the boy hesitating for a moment before his fingers lifted to rest on Ren's chest, curling into his shirt as he swallowed roughly, trying his best to gather his thoughts enough to properly express himself to Ren and yet, the words failed to come to him much to his frustration.

He just couldn't think of what to say, even if it was Ren.

The silence seemed to only amuse the older boy whose gaze softened as he chuckled softly, pulling back to smile at the younger as one of his hands released Tsuna to gently ruffle his hair, a gesture that had Tsuna almost leaning into his friend's touch before all too quickly his touch disappeared and as those eyes opened he saw that smile only grow before Ren's warmth slowly left him altogether as the boy pulled away.

"Now that we've gotten that cleared up, we should probably get back to everyone else. This is the second time I've left people waiting, I'm worried that I'll be getting quite a scolding when I get home for being rude."

"R-Ren-"

"Hey! There you two are! Ren, your parents sent me to find you. They invited all of us out to dinner to celebrate your win and sent me to find you guys so we can leave" Tsuna's brow furrowed the moment he heard that voice, a sigh leaving him as his gaze lifted just in time to see Yamamoto throw an arm around Ren's shoulders as he grinned at the two of them.

There went his chance to tell Ren about how much he meant to him.

Yet, even as he watched Yamamoto cuddle up to the older boy, clinging onto him almost as though he was trying to fuse with Ren, for some reason he found that he couldn't be truly upset now that he knew just how close Ren always kept him deep within his heart.

His was a special place that even Yamamoto couldn't steal away and he took comfort in that, even though he was inwardly frustrated with the fact that he couldn't communicate Ren's own importance in his life. It was with a sigh that Tsuna simply bottled away his frustrations with himself and put on a warm smile as he felt those greens on him once again, wanting to ease any uncertainty his dearest friend might have been feeling about their talk.

The truth was that he needed time to think and to put whatever it was that his heart urged him to say to him into the proper words because, at the very least, Ren deserved his complete and total sincerity and he didn't want to stutter like a complete idiot when he finally told Ren just what he meant to him.

He only hoped he would get that chance in the near future.

* * *

**After all of this time, chapter seven is finally done! I'm really sorry about the extended wait everyone, but there was a few reasons why it took so long to get this chapter to you, the first being that I was looking for an artist to commission to make a cover for this book and I finally found one! Some of you may have noticed that the cover art has changed and that's because I found the talented vani-e. If any of you are looking to commission an artist, she is very talented and I believe she is still taking commissions at the moment, so I highly recommend looking at her work! (And no, just because the work features Ren and Tsuna does not necessarily mean that these two are end game, Tsuna is just a very important person in Ren's life, though whether that stays platonic or evolves into a romantic relationship that binds Ren exclusively to him has yet to be determined)**

**Secondly, I would like to take a moment to thank all of you for being so patient and supporting my little book. It astounds me that I have gotten this many likes and follows on this book and I want to thank each and every single one of you from the bottom of my heart for being so patient and waiting for this chapter to come out, I will try my hardest to update more regularly so the wait will not be as long between chapters but I do hope that the wait was worth it?**

**Thank each and every single one of you guys once again, I hope you guys are enjoying this adventure so far.**

**Until next time~**

**~Xayden**


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